Reflection
by Team Edward Rules All
Summary: When a mysterious bronze-haired boy appears to be trapped in the mirror in Bella's room, how is she supposed to free him? What is she supposed to do when she falls in love with someone who doesn't even seem real?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One  
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**Another multi-chapter story, I know! I wrote this because I was bored and inspiration came to me out of nowhere. By the way, I'm not giving up Destined, A Look Into The Future or Time Travelling Revelations; this is just a side project (Unless it becomes popular ;)) and I didn't want anyone else to write this idea before me. Anyway, enjoy :) **

**12th May 2012 update: I have decided to have all my chapters of this story beta'd as to improve their quality and to gain new readers. So thank you to Aly130 and linnfromia from Project Team Beta who beta'd this chapter for me. **

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><p><strong>Bella's POV<strong>

I stood in my room in Phoenix, deliberating. The choice I was about to make was inevitable; I had to decide now before the chance was lost. I weighed the pros and cons in my mind as I sat moodily on my bed, and my ankles kept crossing with indecision as no conclusion was formed. The final question I was presented with was by far the hardest but also the easiest in a way.

Who was owed more happiness, my mother or I?

I would miss my scatterbrained mother and her whirlwind hugs; I could see how awkward Phil was at having a sixteen year old girl watching him be affectionate with his new wife; I had walked in too many times to Phil and my mother kissing in the kitchen, only for them to break apart awkwardly and leave all three of us in embarrassed silence. I didn't want to trade the hot blue skies and bustle of Phoenix for Forks – the most freezing, wet and remote place that I'd ever had the misfortune to visit.

But my mother deserved to live her newlywed years alone with her husband and shouldn't be forced to deal with a teenage girl, even if I was pretty mature for my age. If I were in her position then I would wish for nothing at all to tie me down.

Suddenly, my heart knew the answer to my indecision and so my head knew what decision to follow through. I was moving to Forks. Now the difficult part would be convincing my mother to let me go, mind the decision wouldn't be as hard for her as it would have been before Phil. I was a legal adult in a few months and she would have to respect my decision.

I knew that my dad, Charlie, would have no problem. In fact, he'd be thrilled to have me living under his roof again. Living with him was one of the pros of moving to Forks as I'd be able to make up for the lost years that had been stolen from us from when my mother left him all of those years ago when I was just a baby. That was until I left for college next year. If I got into any, that was, but it was my goal, and goals were all that I had at the moment. The door creaked open, and my heart lurched. Renee was home and it was time to inform her of my decision. The second she walked in, she noticed that something was wrong. According to her, I was like an open book, and there was never an emotion she couldn't read.

"Why are you so tense, honey? Is something up?" she asked anxiously, sitting beside me and patting my back reassuringly for any problem that I might have had.

"No, nothing's wrong. It's just that…" I couldn't get the words out – they were stuck in my throat.

"You can tell me anything, you know that, Bella."

Her voice was so comforting, so sweet, and it made me feel a little guilty.

"I want to move to Forks to live with Charlie," I blurted out, unable to contain the tension that had been building up inside of me since I made the life-altering decision.

"What? Where has this come from? Is it…," I cut her off before she could blame herself. This was for her sake not mine, but I wouldn't let her shoulder the guilt.

"No, Mum. It's just that I want to spend my last schooling year with Charlie, to get to know him. You know, I'll never get this chance later on."

"Phil and I love having you here," she protested, but her persuasiveness was weak. A part of her wanted me to leave so she could spend more time with her husband.

"It's okay, I want to go. Trust me."

"Bella, I can tell you're lying."

"I'm not."

"Please Mum," I pleaded.

She frowned. "Well, I don't know."

"Mum, I really want to go."

"Think about it some more, and then if you're really sure, then you can go," she consented. "I'll go call your father."

"Thank you."

I hugged her, more out of relief than of happiness. I couldn't ruin the façade. She deserved happiness more than I.

So it was here that I was standing outside Charlie's house, gazing at his quaint two-story house broodingly. Now mine too. Charlie wasn't very talkative but silence suited the both of us.

It wasn't uncomfortable as it would have been with Renee.

As I walked inside, I noticed that the house appeared exactly the same as it had the last time that I had visited, four years ago on summer break, and so did my room. The only thing that appeared to be different was an absolutely huge, free-standing, golden-framed mirror situated near my bed.

"Hey, Char… Dad!" I called out.

"Yeah."

"Where did you get the mirror from?"

"Oh, it was a gift."

"From who?" I asked, oblivious as to who could have given me such an elaborate gift, and frowning as he walked into the room. The mirror looked like an antique, expensive. It had an ordinary rectangular shape, but its edges were adorned with red hinted roses too perfect to be carved by man. I was too intrigued with it's exterior that I paid no attention to the glass. Charlie's reply brought me suddenly out of my preoccupation with the mirror.

"Just this family that lives in town. They heard you were coming and thought you might like it. I thought that you might need something more than that little mirror in the bathroom."

Right. A mirror. Did they think that I was vain? What had Charlie been saying about me to make them think that? I barely looked at myself twice before I left the house each morning.

"That was nice of them," I said carefully.

"You might meet some of them when you go to school tomorrow. Don't worry, they're good kids. Their father is a doctor and is very respected around here. I think he and his wife have four teenagers. They all go to the school that I've enrolled you in. Alice, the youngest said that she'd help you around."

"That's nice of her," I repeated, this time with more feeling. The thought of someone going out of their way to help me was nice. An expensive mirror on the other hand was just crazy. They could have just given me a pot plant or something. I hated receiving gifts from my family, let alone a bunch of strangers.

"Do you need help unpacking? I could help," he offered.

I shrugged. "I'll be okay, I only need to unpack books and clothes, anyway."

"Great. I'll be watching TV in the other room." He smiled before leaving me to my own devices.

I decided to follow his advice and unpack my stuff. But every time I tried to put something away, I felt this inexplicable draw to the mirror and it wasn't long before I was unconsciously standing in front of it.

I almost tripped over my suitcase when I shrank back with trepidation at what the mirror presented, or didn't present, I should say. My reflection wasn't showing in the mirror, and its surface was a complete and incomprehensible silvery blank. What did that mean? That I was a vampire? _Grow up_, I chastened myself.

Was this a prank? What mirror didn't show a reflection? A few minutes after the fear inside of me had subsided, I walked up to the mirror warily and hesitantly brushed my fingers along the cold glass. My reflection had yet to be seen. Frustrated, I leant my head against the glass and closed my eyes. When I opened them, I was met with a pair of beautiful golden ones.

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><p><strong>Just so you know I usually update my stories in order of popularity so receiving many reviews =super-fast update. No reviews =no update, sad FF author and a deleted story. So please review and tell me what you think :) <strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Wow, Reflection received more hits, reviews and adds than I expected. Thanks so much :) I hope you enjoy where I'm going with this. **

**17/5/12 update: Thanks to wynnebat and SqueakyZorro from project team beta for beta'ing this chapter.  
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><p>For a few lingering seconds, wide golden eyes stared into my chocolate brown ones, then the connection broke, and I jumped away from the mirror in shock. He was still there, all of him, not just his eyes, trapped behind the glass that separated us. My hand reached up shakily to stroke a lock of my dark hair. I sighed, reassured that it wasn't my reflection that was being portrayed in the mirror. But if it wasn't mine, then what did that mean?<p>

I walked up hesitantly to the mirror, my eyes never leaving his. He seemed as mystified as I was, but his eyes contained something that mine did not. Hope. His pale hand ran through the disarray of bronze hair on his head, and his mouth was slightly parted slightly. My fingers brushed against the glass with disbelief, but he just stared at me, not speaking.

"Who are you?" I finally managed to whisper, looking into his mesmerising topaz eyes. "And why are you in there? How are you in there?"

"It's you" was all he said, almost too inaudibly for me to understand.

"We've never met. I'm sorry, but you must have me confused with someone else."

"I know we haven't met; that's not what I meant," he said smoothly, a little too smoothly for my taste, and his expression became indifferent for a second until it smoothed back into the friendly but shocked mask that he wore before.

"How did you get in there? Are you really even in there, or is this all something my imagination has conjured up?" I asked bewilderedly.

"Well, I've been trapped in this mirror since probably before you were born, so I don't think it's you."

"You don't age?"

"You could say that," he admitted.

"Look, I can't believe I'm talking to a mirror. What I'm doing is pretty much the definition of crazy. I need to go somewhere to clear my head. There is no way that someone can be stuck in a mirror. It's impossible, illogical."

"Well, I am and have been for longer than I can count, so I guess your theory is incorrect," he replied, his eyes unfathomably sad.

"I'm sorry; I just don't know what to do. I need to think around this…go to the park or something."

"Wait! Please don't go. I haven't talked to anyone in so long. Almost to the point where speech is foreign to me in a way. Please stay," he pleaded, and my heart broke for him. He looked so young, so vulnerable, and I felt the urge to comfort him, to bring a smile to his lips, to give him hope.

What if this wasn't a delusion caused by homesickness or the like? What if this boy actually was trapped in my mirror? What if he had been in there for longer than I could comprehend, all alone and helpless? What if all he needed was company and assistance? I wasn't the sort of person to ignore someone in need. Even if it was a delusion, there was a slight chance that I was denying someone who needed help, and I knew that I'd feel guilty until I helped him.

"Okay then, but I do have questions."

The smile that I'd imagined him wearing flashed across his face, and he sat cross-legged on the floor, eyes bright and seeming eager. I sat down too, so that we were at eye-level. I found myself getting lost in his mesmerising golden eyes, which supported the delusion theory. Nobody had eyes as beautiful as he did.

"I suppose I should tell you how I got in here. But you won't believe me." He sighed.

"Given what I'm seeing now, I might just believe in anything. How about you start with your name?" I suggested.

"I would shake your hand but this mirror makes that quite difficult." He smiled. "I'm Edward."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Bella."

"Bella," he repeated with almost reverence. I filed away that thought away for me to analyse when I had more time.

"So, are you going to tell me how you got into this mess?"

"It has a pretty long back story."

"I have time."

"I…" He hesitated. "I can't tell you yet. It may change your opinion of me."

"It's not like I'm going to get to know you or anything," I mumbled.

"Even if I wasn't stuck in this mirror, I'd like to. You seem like a pleasant person to be around. I don't know what it's like anymore, to have freedom, to be able to do whatever I want. It'd be nice to have someone to talk to."

"Well, I do see your point, but this is just so hard to believe."

"And you're telling that to the person who is in the mirror."

"Consider this, if I was in the mirror, would you believe that I was really in there?"

"Well, I probably would have jumped to the same conclusion as you first did, but then after a while, I'd accept it as the truth when you continued to be in the mirror."

"Why couldn't I see you before?"

"I can only be seen if we touch through the mirror. Once you turn away, I'll disappear until we both touch again."

"Well I guess I better not look away then," I replied shyly.

"That would be preferable." He grinned.

"Okay, I've decided that from this moment forward, I'm going to pretend that what's happening is real, and that I'm going to ignore what reality is telling me."

"It is real."

"Maybe one day I'll see that."

"One day I'll prove it to you."

"And maybe one day I'll believe you."

"How can I prove it to you? I want you to see proof now; otherwise, you might not come back." He sighed, his expression wistful.

"Give me physical evidence. Sight doesn't always prove everything."

"Well press your hand against the glass then. Maybe touch will make you believe," He suggested. I leant forward, my fingers outstretched, deciding to comply. It couldn't hurt to try. When our fingers met, I found undeniable warmth, and not only that, but also a spark, a spark that sent an electrical-like current through my body and a rush of pleasure through me. His eyes widened as if he'd felt the same spark that I'd felt, and was experiencing the same intensity. When our hands matched up-his a little bigger than mine- it wasn't his instructions that got us this close.

It was the yearning inside of me.

"Do you believe me now?" he whispered.

"Yes" was my hushed response.

"Where does that leave us?"

"Bells," I heard Charlie yell to me from downstairs.

"Shoot," I muttered. "I've got to go."

"Promise me you'll come back," he pleaded, his eyes scorching.

"I promise," I said without doubt. That spark when we touched had changed everything in ways that even I didn't understand.

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><p><strong>So there it is. Do you prefer longer chapters or shorter chapters? Shorter chapters mean faster updates but longer chapters mean more content at once. <strong>

**Please give me incentive to update by leaving a review for me to marvel over :) **


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three:**

**You're lucky that I couldn't stop writing this otherwise it wouldn't be this lengthy. Thanks so much to my six reviewers who this chapter is dedicated to. I wish that I had gotten more but oh well, maybe this chapter will get people interested and reviewing :) **

**25th May 2012 Update: Thanks to RaindropSoup and PurplePrincess77 for beta'ing this chapter for me :)  
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><p>I didn't have time to see him again that night or morning. Charlie kept me chatting attentively while he watched a game on TV, and then I overslept in the morning and had to leave for school in a rush. It pained me that I couldn't see him, but I promised myself that I would after school had ended.<p>

It wasn't until I had nearly arrived at school – in the Chevy Charlie had surprised me with yesterday – that I remembered who gave me the mirror and who was supposed to help me around today. Alice Cullen. She had to have known what she had given me, who she had given me, but what did she expect me to do? Did she expect me to help him? To free him? Why choose me? What compelled her to pass on such an impossible task to me, someone who she had never met? I no longer believed that the gift was merely a coincidence. She had to have given it to me with a purpose, but what? After all the introductions were out of the way, I planned to interrogate her. To demand why on earth she chose me.

I wanted to help him.

I just needed to know why such a thing was placed on my shoulders. I suppose it didn't matter, but maybe she could give me some answers, maybe she could help me.

The second I stepped out of my truck, I was face to face with the very person I was planning to search for. I knew it was her from the way she babbled endlessly, as if we were close confidantes, and I noticed that her appearance matched the one Charlie had described; inky black hair in a pixie cut, pale skin, and… strange golden eyes? That last feature confused me greatly. Besides my mirror boy – _the mirror boy – _I corrected myself with chagrin – I had never encountered someone with eyes of such a hue. I thought that perhaps the yellow eyes were an effect of being trapped in the mirror for so long, but the girl who was chatting to me excessively by my side proved that that was not the case.

"You're going to love it here," she trilled. "And we'll be such great friends."

It wasn't until we had reached the office and I'd received my class schedule that I cut her off as politely as possible.

"Yeah, I'm sure I will," I replied to her previous statement with a hesitant smile. Her exuberant nature was overwhelming, but it provided me with a feeling of welcome that I hadn't felt at all since I'd arrived.

However, it still didn't deter me from asking the crucial question that could cause her friendly nature to disappear, to see me as crazy, even accusatory if I was wrong. But I had to know.

I tried not to be blatant as I asked, by decoding it in my thankfulness for the gift.

"I forgot to thank you for the mirror. It's really pretty. Thanks. But, would you mind explaining why there is someone in there?" I braced myself for her response, but my preparation was unnecessary.

"So you found him? I knew you'd figure it out." She grinned.

"Wait, so he really is in there?" I exclaimed, ignoring the wary looks people were shooting us.

"Of course." She laughed.

"But, why did you give the mirror to me? And how did you get it in the first place? Were you the one who trapped him?"

"Slow down," she laughed. "First off, of course I didn't trap him. He's my brother."

"Your brother? But he said that he'd been in there for years," I said incredulously.

"Yes, well, his perception of time must be wrong." She smiled a little too innocently.

"How did he get in there? He won't tell me. He believes that it will make me think less of him if I know."

"This is better explained after school. Would you like to talk about it at my house?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't know you very well, and for all I know, you could be a freaky killer," I joked, but I was serious in a way.

"How about yours then?" She suggested.

"Well, I guess that would be okay," I said hesitantly. "You'd have to leave before Charlie comes home though."

"That's okay. I just want to explain everything to you."

"Can you at least tell me why you gave me the mirror?"

"Sorry, but I can't tell you here. It's too public, and besides, I saw that if I told you now that you'd pass out."

"You saw?"

"I'll explain it all later."

"I'll hold you to that."

….

The remainder of my school day passed in a blur until lunch. Alice showed me around everywhere I needed or might need to go, and the school was so small that I had no trouble with memorising the locations.

At lunch, I sat with her and her siblings, who all eyed me suspiciously. Bizarrely, despite being adopted, despite their eyes all had the strange golden tone as my – _the_ mirror boy and similar pallor. These were the only similarities with their range in hair colours and diverse builds, challenging the fact that they were siblings. Alice soon informed me that they were all adopted, but the blonds, Rosalie, and Jasper, who was Alice's boyfriend, were twins, and Emmett – the intimidating, muscly one– was her cousin. I took in the fact that she was dating her adopted sibling rather well by reminding myself that they weren't actually related.

I didn't know what to make of them, for none of them ate any food or even struck up a conversation, not even with each other. It was as if they were afraid to reveal any of their secrets with me there and just wanted me to leave.

Despite my discomfort and Rosalie's piercing glare, I didn't move to another table and just talked to Alice, wanting to know more about her, and hopefully, Edward. The end of the day was dragging on more than I could bear, and I just wanted her to tell me about him before my patience wore out. I had a billion questions, which I believed she owed it to me to answer. However, Edward never popped up in our conversations, and the sharp ring of the bell sounded before I could bring him up again.

In biology, one of the classes that Alice was not in, I was approached by two girls who welcomed me to their school warmly and were very friendly, but it wasn't until they began asking a million questions that I realised the reason for their sociability.

They had come to interrogate me about my association with the Cullens.

"Hi, you must be Isabella." The short one with curly brown hair smiled at me.

"It's just Bella," I told her.

"Hi, Bella. I'm Lauren." The other silvery blonde girl introduced herself, her voice nasally and a little annoying.

"So, we saw you hanging out with the Cullens today. Do you know what you've just achieved?" Jessica asked me nosily.

"Uh, Alice is very nice and invited me to sit with her, so I accepted," I replied, a little perplexed. Why would they care?

"They must want you for something. They never hang out with people who, like, aren't in their family." Lauren sneered.

"Yeah, you're, like, the first person to do that." Jessica said, a little in awe.

"That's great," I muttered lamely.

"You are so lucky. Jasper and Emmett are hot." Lauren licked her tongue across her lips, as if she were having a fantasy in her head.

Gross.

"Yeah, they are totes sexy," Jessica agreed. "I should so ask them out."

"Don't they have girlfriends?" I asked, confused.

Lauren scoffed. "It's not like they're married." Lauren scoffed.

These girls were irritating me more and more by each second. They saw guys as a piece of ass, not a person with feelings and needs. Doesn't anyone believe in finding love anymore? Of finding the right person? These girls obviously didn't know the meaning of love, or even affection.

I didn't want to hang out with people like that and was greatly relieved when the teacher walked in to begin the lesson. I handed my slip to him and sat down at an empty lab table. No one came to join me, but I liked the solitude. It was nice not being fed mindless chatter for once.

That peace was interrupted when a boy with blond hair and blue eyes tapped my shoulder and asked me for a pencil. I passed one to him with an internal roll of the eyes.

"Thanks. I'm Mike." He smiled. "I saw you talking to my friends just before."

Any positive image I had of him was destroyed by the fact that he was friends with those girls.

"Nice to meet you," I mumbled, and then turned back to my work on cellular anatomy.

The only nice person with decent intentions I'd met apart from Alice was a shy girl with glasses, named Angela, who I sat next to in English. She and I had the same taste in books, and the conversation we had was quite pleasant. When the last class ended, I walked as quickly as I could to my truck, eager to have the important conversation with Alice. She was already waiting there for me, ready to leave as soon as I got to her. She refused to start until we got to my house, despite my assurances that whatever she told me, I would stay sane. Then she said this really weird comment about how only she knew what would happen and that I was clueless while tapping her forehead and grinning.

To my relief, it wasn't long before we were sitting on my father's couch and I was offering her refreshments, which she politely refused.

"So are you going to tell me what you're hiding?" I asked bluntly.

"I only can if you promise to hear me out, at least try to take what I'm saying as the truth and don't ask why certain things are so."

I nodded, and then she sighed, before launching into her story.

"The first thing you need to know is that all of our family is immortal. I can't tell you why, just that we are and you will discover why in a few weeks. Now is not the time to know."

"Okay, you are seriously freaking me out. Nobody is immortal. It isn't logical." I spluttered.

"You need to take into consideration that not everything in this world is as sane as you believe."

"But, how can you be immortal?"

"Someone made us immortal."

"Like a witch?"

"No, but someone with the power to make us immortal. I've lived since the twenties."

"Look, I've only known you one day. How am I supposed to believe you?"

"I saw that you wouldn't believe me unless I showed proof, so I decided to bring my birth certificate."

I stared at the authentic-looking certificate with absolute disbelief. Nobody could forge a signature such as the one that was written there, nobody could fake a seal so official looking, and most importantly, nobody could make paper appear that old. I sniffed it suspiciously and my eyes widened with shock when no smell of coffee could be perceived.

The birth certificate was real.

And the date of 1901 seemed to be forever imprinted into my brain. I couldn't comprehend how someone could be around that long and look exactly the same, eternally youthful. It was madness to even imagine such things.

"What … How... What?" My mouth could not form any other words but those, which demanded explanation.

"Do you still want to know more?" she asked me casually.

"Yes," I whispered. "What did you mean about seeing things?"

"I can see the future. I can prove it again if you want."

"I'm fine." I was at the point of believing anything she could have said after that last piece of proof.

"Well, to my story. There are some people," she started, saying the last word carefully. "Who detest us more than any other kind, and one of them managed to catch Edward when he was alone at our house. They have powers of their own but aren't immortal and resent us for being so. They took a mirror from Rosalie's room and cast a spell on it to trap Edward as a punishment for our existence. They weakened him, and therefore, he had no chance when they forced him into the mirror and sealed it. They planned to trap the rest of us, and we barely managed to escape with the mirror. We are in hiding from them at the present, and they have no idea where we are. While they are stronger than us, we cannot win. We've tried numerous ways to get Edward out of the mirror, but none of them have worked. There is an inscription at the back of the mirror in the form of a poem, which I think you should see. It is the only thing which gives us hope."

I got up without a word and showed her to my room. While she sunk onto my bed in waiting, I half-ran over to the mirror, still sitting there innocently, and peered at the back of it. Just as Alice promised, there was a poem. An almost prophetic poem.

_If the mirror is carelessly shattered, then the boy will cease to be. _

_But if the brown-eyed beauty meets him, then one day he'll be free._

"What's this supposed to mean?" I demanded.

"It's you, Bella." She smiled. "You're the brown eyed-beauty who is destined to free Edward."

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><p><strong>Please review and make a girl happy :) More reviews = quicker updates. <strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four:**

****OME! Thanks so much for doubling the amount of reviews I got last time. They made me feel so good about myself. Anyway because of your awesome reviewing, adding, favouriting and reading of course. Here is an update only two days after the last one. Enjoy :)****

**30th May 2012 update: Thanks to Edwardsfavoritebrunette Bella_Barbaric from PTB for beta'ing this chapter for me :) **

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><p>She couldn't be serious. She had to be wrong. I had accepted that it would be immoral to not even attempt to free Edward, and I would try my best to make it happen, but to be destined?<p>

Destined?

The word implied a sense of obligation. It made me feel that if I didn't conquer the impossible there would be severe and inescapable consequences. I was only seventeen years old for crying out loud; I wasn't even legally an adult yet. I was a measly, shy and unconfident girl who had no purpose in life yet and didn't know what she wanted out of life. There had to be a mistake – there _was_ a mistake. There was no way that what she was saying was true. I was destined to live a dull life and ordinary life. I was not destined to break an enchantment. Hell, how did I even know that this was all happening?

Maybe I was in a dream and would wake up in a few seconds to my room in Arizona. Then again, I wasn't creative enough for my subconscious to invent a dream so vivid, to invent Edward. I couldn't have invented someone so perfect. This didn't erase my doubts though, perhaps I had seen him somewhere and he had been factored into my dream. Then again, I would remember if I'd met someone like him. Even if I'd only seen him out of the corner of my eye, he would be forever imbedded into my mind, so that cancelled that theory.

I pinched myself just to make sure – yep, I was definitely awake – and shook off the sensation of pain. Even if what she was saying were true – which it wasn't- what made me different from any other person? What did I have that could break an enchantment formed before I was born? It was moot point anyway; I wasn't the girl that they were looking for.

Not by far.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not destined to do anything. It can't be me. It just can't!" I told her, trying not to let the uncertainty show.

"Yes you are! I know it's you. We've been waiting for you to arrive for years and now that you have..." She trailed off. "You have to help him. You're the only one that can."

"I'm sure that anyone can do it, and much better than I can. There are people more intelligent, far stronger and capable than I am. It can't be me."

"But it is! We don't know how or why, just that it's you. I've seen it."

"Right, through the future," I said dryly.

"Exactly, I see you freeing him, but I don't see how."

"Alice, you're wasting your time." I said, exasperated. "It's not me!"

"Can you at least try?" she pleaded.

"What's the point? It will only come to nothing."

I wanted to believe that I could save Edward, but there was no way I had the power to free him.

"Look, I know you're so stubborn in believing that it's not you, and fine, think that. But you have to give him hope. _Please_. You didn't see his face when I told him that I'd seen the one who would free him, when I told him that I'd given you the mirror. Taking away that hope would be like shattering the mirror, or even killing him. Please, just try."

Her eyes were so dejected, so pleading that saying no would have been cruel. I also couldn't bear to even imagine Edward's face like that, let alone see or hear about it happening. Even if it would come to nothing, I had to try. Damn the consequences.

"Okay. I'll try, but don't get your hopes up about it. I still don't believe that I can do something,"

"I knew that you'd help us … help Edward. Thank you." She hugged me tightly. The sound of a car pulling up outside made me jump back in surprise.

"Crap. Charlie's here," I muttered. "Go through the back."

"Don't worry. We'll talk about this later," she whispered before running quickly out of the door before I could even think to say something. I didn't follow, but simply kept staring at the mirror – the mirror that had changed my life, the mirror that would continue to change my life, I was sure. The sound of the front door creaking open entered my ears but I didn't react.

"Bells, you there?" Charlie called out.

"Yeah." I sighed, and then went downstairs to discuss my day with him, as he would surely want to hear about it.

…

Ironically enough, it had been a whole twenty-four hours since I'd talked to Edward despite having told myself that I'd see him in half that time. So I was relieved when I finally had time to myself and could see and talk to him. Instead of leaning my head on the glass to make contact with him, I placed my hand against it and smiled as the warmth and electricity registered and he appeared in the mirror.

"Hey," I whispered.

"I thought that you'd never come back!" His smile was radiant, his golden eyes shone with hope and his whole expression was elated. I almost felt guilty. I was giving him impossible hope. "But here you are."

"Here I am," I murmured. It was hard to imagine how I would even consider not helping him when he was here in front of me.

"Where were you all day?" he wondered.

"School. I am a teenager, remember," I grinned. "I met Alice today,"

"And what did she tell you?" His expression was guarded for once.

"Enough."

"What's that supposed to mean? You're not afraid of me, are you?" He asked almost fearfully.

"No!" I cried out instantly. "And why would you think that? Just because you're immortal doesn't mean you're dangerous. If I thought you would hurt me, would I be here?"

"How much did Alice tell you?" he repeated anxiously.

"Just that you're immortal, that you got trapped in this mirror by some powerful beings… and …" I hesitated.

"What? Please I have to know,"

"That I'm destined to free you," I whispered.

"She should have let you figure that last part out yourself – in fact, all of it," he muttered with frustration.

"I'm … I'm scared," I admitted, and somehow I felt the desire to tell him everything I felt, to pour my heart out to this practical stranger whom I felt I had a connection with, to lay out everything for him to see. And so I did.

I told him about moving here, about my reasons why, about the decision it took. I told him about the school, about those girls, Lauren and Jessica.

I told him about my talk with Alice- how it was so unbelievable, how I didn't know what to believe.

I told him about how scared I was about what fate was demanding me to do and I told him about how much I wanted to free him but just don't know how to, about how scared I was that I never would that I'd disappoint both him and Alice.

By the end, tears were streaking down my cheeks and I felt as helpless as ever.

"Don't cry," he whispered. "Don't cry. It's not your fault if you can't get me out of here. It's my fault for not being careful in the first place. Please don't cry,"

"I'm sorry," I blubbered. "Everything's just so hopeless and I can't help it,"

His arms outstretched as if he were about to hug me in comfort but then dropped back down to his sides as he realised such a feat was impossible. I cried even harder at that; he couldn't even comfort me because of that stupid mirror. All I needed was a hug to make the tears disappear, and he couldn't even do that, all because of the glass that divided us.

"Look, all those problems can be fixed," he said gently.

"How?"

"I don't know yet, just that they will. How about I tell you about my old life, then we'll be on equal ground," he offered.

"Okay," I agreed, wiping away my tears with the back of my hand.

He then went on to tell me about how like Alice, he was born in 1901, lived in Chicago as a child with his parents, Edward Sr. and Elizabeth Masen, and how his adopted father, Carlisle, changed him into an immortal being. He refused to tell me fully what he was, saying that the time would come.

His tone grew more somber as he described the people trapping him in the mirror and his family's fruitless attempts to free him. They had tried pulling him out of the mirror, uttering a few possible trigger words, researching on the internet, reading every possible book – both fiction and nonfiction – asking other people of their kind, and even asking average people from time to time.

"We'll get through this. I know we will," he finished.

"Thanks. You make me feel a lot stronger, a lot more capable. I'm still worried though."

"Even if I can't physically help you, I'll always be here to listen," he offered, flashing a crooked smile.

"Thank you but you don't have to. My ramblings must be pretty boring," I told him.

"I'll do anything it takes to make you stay. Besides, I want to help you."

"Isn't that my job?" I laughed. "And I didn't say that I was going anywhere."

"Do you promise to come back?"

"Of course. You think that after hearing all that, I'll just abandon you? Besides, I want to help you," I quoted him with a smile. He laughed at that.

"You don't know how much I owe you," He said with true gratitude.

"I haven't done anything yet," I reminded him.

"Yes you have. You're the first person that's made me laugh or smile since I first got trapped in here. You're making me happy."

"You're not doing too bad yourself," I told him. "You've made me feel better about everything for the first time. You're making _me_ happy!"

"We better stick together then." He grinned.

"Yes," I agreed. It was then that I made a silent oath to myself. He wouldn't suffer anymore; he wouldn't suffer ever again.

I'd free him, no matter what it took!

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><p><strong>I know that Bella seems kind of weak in this story but through the progress of the story, she will grow stronger, be more capable and have more self-worth. If you have any questions about the story then just ask.<br>**

**As always, please review and maybe just maybe, you will get another quick update :) **


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Four:**

**Thanks for the reviews, adds and alerts people! I would have liked more but just the fact that I got some compelled me to update. **

**Thanks especially to DutchGirl01 who not only gave me a really awesome review but also PM'd me about this story and expressed her interest. Thanks again! **

**7/6/12 update: Thanks to ChocolateMango and BelleDuJour from PTB!  
><strong>

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><p>The next few weeks continued in the same fashion. I would go to school, sit with Alice and the remainder of her family, and then see Edward after school. I would spend hours sitting by the mirror, just talking to him. He told me stories of his family, of his life before he was changed into an immortal, and after. I found myself intrigued by them, by him.<p>

The stories sounded as if they were just that, a story, and had been copied straight out of a fairy-tale. That didn't mean that I doubted him. To doubt him would be to doubt his very existence, something time had evidently showed me was real.

When I wasn't talking to him, I was researching all I could, looking desperately for a way to free him. Even if it was fruitless, I had to try – for him, for Alice, for his family, and even selfishly for myself. _Google_ wasn't much help, and I had even resorted to reading every fantasy book I could get my hands on in order to get ideas. It was an immense change from the Jane Austen books that I usually read, and I didn't particularly enjoy them, but that didn't stop me. There had to be some book, something that would give me the right idea.

But what?

I often found myself frustrated by my lack of process, but the thought of what I was supposedly capable of kept me going.

I just wasn't trying hard enough it seemed.

Alice refused to help me, despite my pleas, stating that her vision didn't show her assistance. I tried to get her to tell me what the vision was so that I could attempt it, but she replied with a frown, saying that the vision disappeared whenever she considered helping me.

I was still coming to terms with the whole _'seeing the future' _mojo. Every time she mentioned it causally in day to day conversation I had to refrain myself from either choking on the food I was eating – or even choking my own saliva – or stumbling on a crack on the pavement It was just too much to take in and I often found myself dizzy just thinking about how much had changed since I'd moved here.

Charlie perceived my odd moods often, sometimes interpreting them as me being weirdly buoyant – this usually happened after I had been talking with Edward. He claimed that my happiness was just for fitting in at school and having friends here. He perceived my frustration as having had trouble with the workload that senior high school provided.

I wasn't in a hurry to correct him on either point. I could hardly tell him that the reason I was cheerful was because I'd spent the day with one of my closest friends – I didn't know what to categorise Edward in, and he understood me in a way that no one else did, so our current status seemed appropriate – who by the way was trapped in a mirror and the reason why I was frustrated was because I was trying to get him out and couldn't.

Yeah, Charlie would really support me on that.

I'd be shipped to a mental hospital before I could even mutter the worst of swear words.

Edward laughed when I told him this, and said that if they committed me, then what would they do to him? I had grinned and replied that they'd probably slam the mirror on the floor and scream demon repeatedly until it broke. My laughter died down suddenly when I realised what would actually happen if the mirror broke, of what I would lose. I had to find a way, and fast.

….

"Ugh!" I muttered for what felt like the umpteenth time, after I'd touched the mirror, Edward had appeared and all greetings were out of the way. "I can't find anything!"

"I wish I could help, but that's kind of out of my range right now," he replied, trying to make me smile. I managed a short-lived one for his sake. He hated to see me frustrated for what he thought was his own fault.

"I just don't know what to do," I sighed.

"Why don't we just forget this mirror business and pretend that the glass dividing us doesn't exist," he suggested, attempting to ease my worries.

"That's the thing. We can't just forget that there's a critical problem literally right in front of us. I need to act!"

"You've been working yourself to death lately what with all that reading and researching all for something that probably won't work." His eyes were sad. "Please for me, can you just forget it today? Maybe a break is what you need."

"How will that help me free you?"

"Can we forget that I'm trapped in here for once, just pretend that I'm right in front of you? All I want is for me to have a proper conversation with you. One that doesn't involve the supernatural, it's all I ever talk about. I'm starved for human conversation and I just want to talk to you like there's nothing wrong with me. I just want to be normal again!"

He sounded so dejected, so sad and his eyes were downcast, so for once I let all my plans sift and just sat there with a blank mind, ready to listen to what he was going to tell me today. After a minute, I decided to start the conversation off since he didn't seem to be.

"So, what do you want to talk about? How about your family home, you've never told me about that."

"I'm sick of talking about me. I want to hear about you," he admitted.

"Okay," I agreed. "I'm a pretty boring person mind you, so you'll probably want a topic change as soon as I've begun."

"I highly doubt that." He smiled.

"Well, what do you want to know?"

"How about your favourite colour?" he said seriously.

"Wow, I don't think someone's asked me that since primary school." I laughed.

"Well …" he pressed.

"It changes from day to day, usually depending on what I'm wearing and the mood that I'm in. Today I'm wearing a light blue cardigan so I guess that it's blue."

"I like blue on you." He said the words so inaudibly that I wasn't even sure that the words had left his lips. Of course I began to flush a subtle pink. It was surely my imagination, I decided. As if someone as perfect, as glorious as him would find a girl like me even remotely attractive. It was madness to even imagine such a thing.

"What's yours?" I asked after a few seconds of silence.

"Blue," he answered immediately, his eyes containing traces of embarrassment although I had no idea what for.

"Are you just saying that because I said it?" I narrowed my eyes playfully.

"I would never!" he said in mock surprise.

"Well then, what next?" I asked, impatient for his next question and hoping that it wouldn't be as random as the last.

"Eager are we?" He grinned. "Well I don't want to disappoint you. What's your favourite book?"

"Could you get any more random?" I rolled my eyes. "I'd like for you to guess,"

"Hmm, it couldn't be _Pride and Prejudice_, could it?" he teased, eyeing the tattered copy on my dresser.

"Close, but no. This is my favourite book." I smiled, not taking my eyes off his as I took out my impossibly more battered favoured book out of my schoolbag.

"_Wuthering Heights_. Really?" he questioned.

"Hey, Cathy and Heathcliff are great characters. Emily Bronte is a genius!" I defended. "What would yours be then?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" He joked. "Problem is, my favourite book has probably been forgotten now, as old as it is."

"_Wuthering Heights_ is from 1847. I doubt that yours is that old!"

"You'd be surprised."

"What? Do you have a journal from the Vikings?" I snickered.

"Okay, not that far," he agreed.

"Well, what is it?"

"Okay, I don't really have a favourite book, I lied. I do like Shakespeare's plays though," he admitted after a few seconds.

"You have to have one book that you liked," I prompted.

"I didn't read much back then. I liked to play piano." He smiled. It was devastating to me that he had to use past tense when referring to things of his leisure. I was going to change that as soon as I was able.

"Could you play well?" I wondered, trying to imagine his long fingers caressing the piano keys.

"Well my mother – both of them – used to say that my playing was exceptional. That reminds me, has Alice introduced you to Esme yet?"

"No," I murmured. "I've heard of her but never met her."

"You'd love her." He grinned. "She's very hospitable."

"I'll ask Alice," I said.

"I'm sure she'd love for you to meet both Carlisle and Esme!"

Do you miss your family?" I asked hesitantly after a few minutes. I had no idea if this was a touchy subject or not so I was apprehensive.

"Yes, but I have something just as great. I have you." He smiled. "Your friendship, I mean." He added as an afterthought, his expression inconceivably unsatisfied. I had to be making these things up! It was wish fulfillment; I guess that was putting these thoughts into my head, I was mishearing things. Or maybe I was just crazy; all this supernatural stuff had to be fueling that.

"There's nothing interesting about me," I muttered.

"You have no idea how enthralling you are."

"What is enthralling about me?"

"I don't know how to describe it, but trust me, you are the most captivating person I have ever met."

"You haven't met many people lately," I reminded him.

"Even if I had, you would still be the most. I would bet my whole life upon it,"

"I think you've got it wrong. You're the most interesting person I've ever met," I told him.

"Okay, I'm stuck in a mirror. I'll agree that that would be interesting to most people."

"It sure is." I laughed.

"My opinion is still the same," he replied.

"Crap!" I exclaimed, suddenly noticing the time as I saw it reflected through the mirror. "I told Charlie that I'd make dinner for him tonight!"

"You've got to go." He sighed.

"I'll be back. I'll always be back," I promised him.

"I'll be waiting." He flashed a grin and I flashed one back.

I knew one thing for sure; I was liking Edward more and more as each day passed, more than I'd ever liked – or ever would like – anyone else.

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><p><strong>If you want a faster update then please review. Would you guys like an EPOV of this chapter or do you want me to get on with the story already. Your opinions are valued people! <strong>


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

**Thanks so much for all the reviews, adds, and alerts! Enjoy :) **

**June 10th 2012 Update: Thanks to Writing2StayHalfSane and beautifulnighmarex from PTB!  
><strong>

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><p>I woke up in the morning feeling thoroughly nervous and for a completely illogical reason. Today I was going to follow Edward's suggestion and meet Esme and Carlisle, his parents. He had assured me that Alice would introduce me after school. After all, nothing ever happened in that household without her knowing about it, so she would see my decision anyway.<p>

I had no idea what I was feeling so nervous. Maybe it was because they were Edward's parents – adopted or not, I felt that this meeting was very important – or maybe it was because something didn't seem quite right about them. In the end, I decided that it wasn't the latter, but the first option, although I had no reason to be nervous about that. Why did it matter if I made a good impression or not? At this rate Edward was never going to get out of the mirror. And besides, didn't people only stress heavily like I was if they were meeting their boyfriend's parents? And Edward wasn't that. He would never be.

So why did I care?

By the time I had reached school in my Chevy, my anxiety still hadn't eased. Alice didn't seem to notice my inner turmoil and greeted me in her usual bubbly way, cheerfully adding that we were going to her house after school before I could even get a word in edgeways about my mixed feelings on the visit.

Then again, I wasn't planning on telling her about my anxiety.

Classes rushed by feverishly and before I knew it, lunch had dawned. Fortunately for me, the table's hostility had decreased a little. Alice's boyfriend Jasper had begun to slightly warm up to me but still kept his usual distance. I didn't mind; I was a little intimidated by him and wouldn't know what to say in any case. Emmett looked like he wanted to say something, but couldn't, and his ice queen girlfriend still glared at me as per normal. None of the other students dared approach me. I gathered from my peers' expressions that it was something to do with the Cullens – that they had an aversion to them, but I didn't know why. With the exception of Rosalie, they all seemed like pretty nice people.

Then again, it wouldn't have surprised me if Rosalie's antagonism had outweighed the other Cullens' affability in some people's views.

Having nothing else to say, I asked Alice where her house was, curious as to where she and her outlandish family lived. She said in reply that it was somewhere remote from the other houses in town. This was probably another reason why the Cullens were seen as indirect outsiders.

I offered the use of my truck, but she declined, stating proudly that I hadn't ridden in a proper car until I'd ridden in her Porsche. My jaw pretty much dropped to the floor when I heard this.

How rich were the Cullens?

I now knew for sure that money would play no part in freeing Edward. His family had probably spent millions of dollars already. This got me thinking on what their house looked like. Was it a luxurious mansion or a remote cabin?

Did they treasure solitude over luxury?

Then again, they were supposedly immortal; forever would be enough time to accumulate more money than the richest half the population combined, most likely.

I was a bit worried about what would happen with my truck when I went, but Alice assured me that Jasper would drive it back to my house. Dubiously, I asked why he would go to that much trouble for me. Replying in a matter of fact tone as if it were so obvious, she said that he would do anything for her.

I didn't question the strength of their relationship again.

I was a little surprised when I entered Alice's Porsche at the end of the school day. I didn't know what I expected of such an expensive car, but it wasn't this. The interior of the Porsche was very comforting and the windows had dark tinting so I almost didn't realise how fast Alice was driving. But when I did, I felt more scared than I did when I found out that she was immortal.

"Why the hell are you driving so fast?" I demanded, clutching onto the leather seats for support. "Imagine if my dad pulled us up! Slow down!"

"All of us drive that fast. We can't die remember?"

"Well I can," I muttered. "Wait…did you just say that you can't die."

"I told you that we were immortal."

"You forgot to mention the fact that you can't get injured or sick!"

"I saw that it would freak you out if I did." She frowned.

"Well…" I hesitated, unsure of what to say, and not wanting to be rude but also not wanting her to freak me out anymore with this impossible knowledge.

"Just think of us as people with really good immune systems," she suggested. "I'm not that different from anyone else, besides that insignificant little fact."

For some reason, something sounded odd about her last assurance, as if she were leaving something out for my benefit. She probably was, but as curious as I was to know what she was hiding, I decided not to question it.

"Do they even want to meet me?" I asked, desperate for a subject change.

"Of course they do, especially Esme!"

"Why though?"

"You'll see. I think Esme will express herself well enough."

"Why do you have tinted windows?" I asked, unable to abate some of my curiosity, trying to keep my thoughts off the blurring landscape.

"Er … well it feels more private," she said, begging with her tawny eyes for me to drop it.

"Okay then." I frowned.

"We're here," she informed me just before the car screeched to a sudden halt. The windows were too dark for me to see outside, so I was a tad bit wary as I opened the door and stepped out.

I was rendered speechless as I took in the sight before me. The house was more simple and timeless than I expected, more homely, but it still had an expensive quality to it. Lively ivy crept up the side of the white paneled walls and I could tell that it was naturally there, that the whole house had been hardly tampered with, but looked just as perfect. Just like everything else that I had experienced to do with the Cullens and Edward, it looked more appropriate for a fairy tale than for reality.

"Like it?" Alice beamed.

"It's very nice," I responded in awe, unable to keep my eyes off the house's … mystique. "A bit more than nice actually," I added.

"If only…" she trailed off wistfully while I stared at the house, her topaz eyes alight with longing. Lucky for her, I was too distracted by the house to ask for her to finish off her strange sentence.

"When did you buy this house?" I wondered after a few seconds of silence.

"Well technically we bought it fifty years ago but to the town's knowledge we bought it two years ago." She winked.

"Right," I stuttered.

"You'll get used to it." She shrugged, not bothering to conceal her confidence.

"I hope so," I muttered, not knowing quite what else to say. In a move so graceful, I felt a tiny stab of jealousy; I watched Alice dance up the porch steps, while I followed cautiously. I wasn't surprised to see the front door already ajar. Maybe the rest of her family could tell the future too.

The inside of the house was very pleasant in appearance but there was a sense of melancholy in the air, as if a crucial part of the house was missing and the room wouldn't be fully complete without it. At the foot of the stairs stood who I assumed to be Esme and Carlisle. The female – just like the rest of the family – was stunning in appearance with her heart shaped face and curly caramel coloured hair, and so was her husband – who had looks that most men would kill for but not as handsome as Edward. They welcomed me warmly, their faces friendly, and Esme gave me a tight hug.

"I'm so glad that you're here! We're so grateful for your effort in trying to free our son!" She beamed, clearly very excited to meet the person who she believed would free her son.

Perfect.

Esme was another person that I could add to the list of people who I would eventually disappoint.

"Esme." Carlisle placed a restraining hand on her shoulder, sensing my unease.

"I'm sorry. It's just that we've been waiting so long, and I'm so elated with the fact that I may finally be able to see my son again!"

"I'm doing what I can," I tried to say with a smile.

"We're not putting any pressure on you. Esme is just getting a bit ahead of herself. It's just nice to have some hope again." Carlisle smiled, but I could tell that he was holding back his own excitement.

I was feeling guiltier by the second; the probability of me freeing Edward was very slight, even with the effort that I was exerting.

I was giving everyone false hope.

"Do you have any suggestions of what I could do? You have a very nice home by the way," I added conventionally as we sat down on a plush recliner in their sitting room.

"Thank you, I renovated this room myself," Esme smiled, but her warm smile faded as her husband continued on to a more sombre subject.

"We've tried everything we could, but I know that there's something that only you can do which will break the spell. Do you have any special skills?" Carlisle asked.

"Not really, no." I flushed, feeling embarrassed. They never gave a trophy for reading books at an abnormally fast pace or in large numbers. I was pretty much as ordinary as ordinary got.

"I don't think it's to do with skills. Call it a mother's intuition," Esme disagreed.

"Then what do you think?" I wondered.

"I'm not quite sure. Perhaps you have to touch through the mirror. Maybe your touch or voice will do it."

"I've already tried that." I blushed. "Touching I mean, through the glass. All there was was this weird, tingly, warm feeling."

All three of them exchanged glances at this.

"Bella!" Alice gasped. "None of us have ever felt that when we've touched the glass."

"What!" My eyes widened in my shock. How could my touch be different from theirs?

"It's a sign." Esme smiled widely, her dimples showing.

"Maybe it's because I'm not immortal."

"I doubt it." Alice grinned.

"But this doesn't change anything," I reminded them, not letting hope filter its way through.

"It's a clue, a step forward. Something we haven't accomplished in the whole time that Edward's been trapped in there," Esme told me.

"So you think I should try out that concept. The concept of touch," I said uncertainly.

"It wouldn't hurt." Alice shrugged.

"Well I'm willing to try anything at this point," I admitted.

"I know that you can do it! I have no doubt." Alice smiled.

I looked up at all their hopeful faces as they smiled at me, not having the heart to tell them that their hope was being placed in the wrong hands.

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><p><strong>You know the drill. A high number of reviews equals a quick update ;) <strong>


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven  
><strong>

****I just realised that I forgot to mention in the last chapter that I will do an EPOV, but as an outtake at the conclusion of the story if people still want it then. ****

****15th June 2012 update: Thanks to wynnebat and beautiful . nightmare (.x) for their awesome beta'ing!  
><strong>**

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><p>It was another two months before I decided to try out Esme's suggestion, to explore the theory of touch with Edward. Every day that I saw Edward, I put it off for two reasons. Firstly, I didn't know how to even suggest such a thing to Edward, to explain that I thought touching him was the key without it sounding like a big deal. I had to keep the whole thing completely platonic, as I knew nothing would happen in the future between us and I'd be an idiot to think otherwise. Secondly the theory seemed so unlikely that I was sure I could find another way.<p>

During those two months, I had grown much closer to both Edward and the Cullens – excluding Rosalie, who wasn't as callous as before, but still had an air of coldness about her when I was near. I was still unsure as to why that was.

Even with two months having passed, nobody's hope had diminished but mine, and the stress that I felt hadn't eased but grew every passing day. With all this pressure that everyone was placing on me, I knew that I had to do something as soon as possible before the stress of it all broke me.

They had picked the wrong girl for the job. I just wished they knew that.

Evidently they still believed that I could free Edward, even with the amount of time that had passed with nothing happening, and now I had to prove them right and myself wrong by figuring out the impossible.

I was having one of those days, where you know you can't procrastinate any longer. That was why I decided to act on Esme's idea, despite my qualms and disbelief.

I just had to pray that this 'touch theory' was accurate and I wouldn't be making a fool out of myself by trying and then failing. I planned to tell Edward all of this but all thoughts of doing so slipped away when I sensed something different about him. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but there was something different about his general appearance. He noticed my preoccupation immediately – we had gotten quite skilled at reading each other's facial expressions – and gently asked what was wrong.

"It's nothing, really. It's just that …" I hesitated, unsure.

"That..." he pressed.

"You seem a bit … paler than usual? A little less solid?"

"What do you mean?" he questioned nervously, holding up his hands to his face to detect any changes about himself.

"I don't know how to explain it." I bit my lip anxiously. "Your whole appearance seems different. It's barely noticeable, but your whole self seems a little less lively, a little washed out. Physically, I mean."

"What!" he exclaimed, clearly alarmed.

"I could be making something out of nothing," I assured him.

"Look, we both know that you're very observant. I very much doubt that you're mistaking this for something it's not." He frowned.

"What does this mean, then?" I asked.

"I ... I think I know what's wrong; it makes sense after what Alice saw. But it's not good and you're not going to like it." He shook his head with remorse.

What did he mean? What did Alice see? He hadn't told me of any vision!

"I can take it," I told him gently, sensing how upset he was.

"I think I'm fading away, like time has finally caught up to me and I'm disappearing," he admitted quietly.

No words could describe my sudden despair as I understood what he was trying to tell me. It couldn't be true. I refused to believe it! He had to be wrong! He couldn't just disappear without a trace! He couldn't just leave me forever. He just couldn't!

"How can something suddenly change like that?" I cried. "You've been trapped in there long before I found you! What did I do wrong?"

"You did nothing wrong, and it's just a theory in any case," he said, his topaz eyes desolate, although he was trying very hard to hide his desolation.

He could hide nothing from me.

"But this only started when I came here!" I panicked, my eyes scanning frantically over his pale form. "It must have been me!"

"Don't blame yourself," he pleaded. "We don't even know if that's what's happening."

"Wait a second. Let me check the back of the mirror. Maybe there's something there that I missed, that can tell us what's happening!"

I quickly whipped my head around the golden frame of the mirror without waiting for a response and noticed a new inscription embedded under the previous one. I felt a slight sense of hope at the thought that it could explain and help with what was happening.

_The longer you take, the harder he'll be to see._

_Until there's nothing left at all to free_

My blood ran cold, and any feeling of hope from before rushed out of me at once.

"Crap!" I moaned. This complicated matters even more forcefully than before.

Now I had a time limit.

And if I didn't abide by that time limit, then Edward would disappear.

He would disappear forever. I would lose him.

Forever.

I couldn't let that happen. Even considering it as a possibility caused excruciating pain to course through me more intensely than ever before, caused a searing agony to make any other pain I'd suffered seem insignificant. I had no idea why I was reacting so strongly, but it was a feeling that I never wanted to experience ever again.

That didn't mean that I understood it. Edward was just a very good friend, nothing more.

So why did I care so much?

Blind with irrational tears I didn't even realize were falling, I stumbled back to the front of the mirror and brushed my fingers on the glass. Edward appeared almost instantly, as if he'd been watching.

"What is it?" he demanded, his eyes searching my face desperately for answers.

"You were right. You were right. You're fading away. The longer I take, the more you'll fade. I can't let that happen. I can't!" I bawled, unable to contain my whacked up emotions.

"We still have time. Nobody else would notice the way you did. I'm sure the process has only just started," he assured me anxiously.

"At least before I had as much time as I needed; now there's a time limit. What am I going to do? What the hell am I going to do?" I choked, the tears flowing freely down my cheeks now.

I was on the verge of becoming hysterical.

"Look, it doesn't matter if you can't find out how to free me. Nobody will miss me if I disappear. It will only set things right. I should have died ninety years ago," he said softly, a hint of sadness seeping into his tone.

My head jerked up in shock.

"What are you talking about?" I demanded, my tears almost stopping in my disbelief. "Your family cares about you deeply, more than I can even comprehend, especially Esme. They would be devastated if something like that happened to you!"

"I know they would at first, but then they'd move on, as they should. They should've moved on ages ago, forgotten about me. They need to stop dwelling on my incarceration and start living. They need to stop hoping for something that will never happen!"

"What about me?" I whispered selfishly. "I care. I care so much that I can't even believe the capacity of it. I can't let you disappear. I won't!"

The last few words were a promise.

"You shouldn't care. Why do you care?" he asked desperately, searching my face for answers.

"You're my … my …" I wracked my brains for the right way to describe our relationship. "My best friend! I can't let that happen!"

There was something indefinitely wrong about that status, I realised suddenly. I wanted it to be something completely different.

I wanted it to be something more.

That was why I cared so much! That was why I hadn't quit this impossible mission when everybody else would have already. Edward wasn't only my best friend.

I was completely and irreversibly in love with him.

I didn't know what love felt like, so I couldn't be sure if this was it. But it was the only thing that made sense. And as the words ran through my head repeatedly, warmth flooded through me and I knew that my theory had to be right.

But just to make sure, I planned ask Alice discreetly what love felt like.

Either way, this didn't fix the problems that we were facing – it only made them worse. Now that I knew what I was feeling, I knew that it would kill me to let such a thing go.

And I couldn't stop the constant repetition of words that seemed to be a mantra running through my head.

I love him. I love him. I love him.

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><p><strong>It seemed appropriate to leave it here and a new chapter will be up soon in any case if people remember to review ;) <strong>


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

**You guys are awesome reviewers, thanks. Keep this up and you'll have a chapter every three days! Thanks also to people who added, favourited and read the last few chapters. **

**Thanks especially to **_**team cullen**_** who doesn't have a FanFiction account but has still managed to review every time I update. Enjoy the chapter people!**

**20th June 2012 update (lol, Edward's birthday) : Thanks to ChocolateMango and beautifulnightmarex PTB for their awesome beta'ing skills :)  
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><p>With the startling revelation that had made itself known to me – that I was in love with Edward – I knew that I couldn't possibly enlighten him on my newfound feelings. And unless I absolutely had to, I wouldn't ever tell him. I couldn't. How on earth do you tell someone that you love them when you were unsure of their feelings towards you and you had absolutely no experience to go off?<p>

Doing such a thing would be taking a huge risk, and would mean putting my heart on display for everyone to see. I certainly didn't want it to get broken in two when he didn't reciprocate my love. So my affection would have to be my secret.

I realised suddenly that I wanted to tell someone, but I had no idea who to tell. I could perhaps confide in Alice, maybe Esme. Hell, what was I even thinking? Confiding in Edward's mother before him would just be plain stupid, even though I saw Esme as more of a friend than as the mother of the man I loved.

Not just that, but I couldn't tell Edward because I didn't know _how_ to tell him. It would ruin everything and make it even harder to help him get out of the mirror if I screwed it all up. Still, I felt as if I needed to confide in someone, someone who wasn't in the centre of all the action and could help me without judgements. The problem was that the only people I hung out with were the Cullens and I'd already ruled out Alice and Esme.

Rosalie would definitely be out of the question.

Hmm, what about Angela? Yes! That's perfect! Then again, it wouldn't be a surprise if she were apprehensive about discussing such personal issues considering that we didn't know each other that well. It was a moot point anyway, considering that school wasn't for another two days …

"Bella?" Edward pulled me out of my internal musings, sounding uncertain as he did so. I realised that I had been silent for a few minutes, probably missing out on whatever he had said in response to my outburst on not giving up.

"Sorry, "I apologised, hoping that he'd understand. "I blanked out for a second."

"Have you finally realised that I'm not worth it?" He asked, the resignation at his situation showing clearly in his desolate filled eyes.

"Stop saying that!" My refusal at his lack of hope made the words come out louder than I'd intended to. "You know that you're worth it! You ARE worth it!" I added those last words on at the end because he truly seemed to detest himself and I needed him to see otherwise.

"It doesn't change this." He gestured to his paler-than-usual form.

"Listen! I'm going to figure this out whether you think I'm capable or not!" I told him fiercely. "Esme came up with a theory and I'd like to try it out."

My frustration at his self-loathing seemed to bring out the braver side of me.

"All right, I'll go along with your attempts. Just know that I don't believe it will do anything. I'm beyond saving." It hurt to see all the hope he had been holding on to was gone, and it seemed like it would never return. All that remained was his acceptance that he was near his end.

I swore to myself that if I ever met the people who trapped Edward in that mirror, that I would make them wish that they'd never been born for making such an expression appear on his face.

Who gives a damn if they're stronger than me?

"Great." I tried to conceal my fury with contentment at his agreement.

"What is this theory then?" he asked.

"You might not like it." I blushed, unable to conceal my embarrassment I knew it was pathetic, but I really wanted to feel that strange warmth and electricity I felt when Edward and I touched. However, I knew Edward probably didn't think anything of it, and that was what made me hesitant … as well as embarrassed.

"Try me," he said curiously. I saw his lips lifting as humiliation flooded my cheeks and cocked an eyebrow at his smirk. However remembering what I was about to say caused me to look at my feet.

"Well, I told Esme about the … that … thing that we feel when we touch and she suggested that it might be a clue towards freeing you since nobody else feels it," I explained quickly.

"Oh. I thought that it was related with … you were going to…" he trailed off, disappointment clear in both his face and tone.

"What?" I asked curiously.

"Never mind. It's not of importance," he said, looking sheepish. Huh? Edward never got embarrassed. Not in the time that I'd spent with him, anyway.

And I'd spent a lot of time with him.

"Fine!" I muttered. He'd tell me eventually – he always did. "Esme might not even be right, so we might have to try whatever you're thinking anyway."

For some reason, he seemed to be battling a smile at that.

"As I was saying," I continued, "I thought that we'd experiment with Esme's theory."

"Sounds good."

There was a slightly awkward silence before I stepped forward and pressed my hand against the glass. He followed suit quickly. Nothing had changed – the electricity and warmth was still there. It actually seemed to intensify as time went on, but there was no other difference. f

"Hmm," he murmured. "We've only ever tried hand on hand. What if you try to hug me or something?" he suggested, sounding embarrassed again.

"It's worth a try." I tried to sound nonchalant, not wanting to betray the excitement that was building up inside of me at the prospect that I may very well get to hug him.

Feeling slightly stupid, I pressed my whole body against the glass, trying to make my hands go through it. The glass however, still acted as a barricade. I swore under my breath.

I could still feel the electricity and warmth but I couldn't feel _him_, only the glass.

"Ugh, why isn't this working!" I groaned.

"Esme's theory obviously isn't correct," Edward replied, sounding unsurprised.

"Then what is?"

"I don't think we'll ever figure it out."

"But what about that other thing you thought about before? How you had your own theory about the warmth thing." I reminded him.

"Uh … that was nothing. Don't worry about it. What I was thinking won't make a difference regardless. I'm never going to be free, and I'm okay with that." He said gently.

"Don't you start with that again!" I hissed.

"Look Bella, we all know how this is going to end. Just give up, and instead we can appreciate our last few days or weeks with each other more effectively instead of wasting all of our borrowed time trying to do something that we both know will never happen."

"No!" I replied stubbornly.

"Please!" He pleaded. "I want whatever time I have left with you to be perfect, and not riddled with worry. Just stay with me and that'll be enough."

Maybe he was right.

What was I ever thinking?

I couldn't do it. I couldn't free him. Where had all that confidence come from anyway? It was stupid to believe that I could have ever done it. I was an idiot for thinking so for even a second.

"Okay, I'll stay," I told him softly.

…

During the following morning, for the first time in months, I didn't formulate a plan that centered around freeing Edward. Today, I would do as he asked and just spend the day with him, not even mentioning my suggestions, theories or anything at all do to with freeing him.

Charlie had already left for fishing, which was a relief because it meant that I didn't have to come up with an excuse about why I was spending so much time up in my room. He'd probably assume that I was depressed or something, which definitely was not the case.

However, before I could make my way up the stairs and into my room, there was urgent knocking at the door. Disgruntled at the interruption, I stalked over to answer it.

"Alice," I said in surprise when I opened the door and saw her standing on the front porch.

Her response was instant, straight to the point. "This will only take a second, but I just need you to hear this."

"What, no hello?" I teased.

"This is serious Bella!" Alice snapped.

"Okay." I agreed, mystified, wondering why she didn't just text me if it was so important.

"Don't you dare give up on Edward!" she ordered me bluntly. "I've seen visions of what happens if you give up and it's not pretty!"

"Even if I try, the visions will still turn out the same," I reminded her.

"Nuh uh. I see him out of the mirror if you decide to try again."

"Are you bluffing?" I eyed her suspiciously.

"Would I lie to you?"

"It depends."

"How about if I swear on it?" she offered.

"Fine. Swear on Jasper's life … existence, whatever."

"I swear on Jasper's existence that I've seen Edward free if you don't give up," she said without hesitation.

"Okay then." I didn't actually think that she'd swear on Jasper's life as it was something that she'd never take a chance on. She had to be telling the truth.

"Just try okay. Please." Alice whined.

"Not today. I already promised Edward that I wouldn't," I told her.

"Fine. Just don't give up, whatever you do."

"I'll try not to but I can't make any promises."

"Great!" She clapped her hands together in satisfaction, twirled around and walked out the door. I knew that if I lived a thousand years, I'd never meet anyone quite as eccentric as Alice, even if she didn't see the future or was mortal.

Finally, I walked upstairs as I'd originally planned and made contact with the mirror, trying not to cringe when I noticed that Edward's form looked slightly more transparent than yesterday.

After Alice's supposed vision, it was hard to repress the urge to run over to the computer and start a ravenous search on Google when Edward looked like this. When he looked so feeble, so out of reach.

He smiled when our eyes met and we both sat down as to get more comfortable.

"The conversation is all yours today," I grinned.

"Hmm, for once I have no idea what to ask. I feel as if I know you so well now." My heart skipped a beat as he smiled crookedly.

"Hmm." I searched my brains for a good topic or idea. Suddenly inspiration came to me.

"You know how you like Debussy …" I began.

"Yes." He seemed surprised at my topic choice.

"How would you like to listen to his compositions again? Clair De Lune?"

"I haven't listened to Claire De Lune since …" He trailed off. "That would be great."

Without a word, I got up and went to my CD player. Removing _Linkin Park's Hybrid Theory_ – Phil had given the album to me for Christmas – I replaced it with my Debussy CD and pressed play. Clair De Lune surged through the air without a break and I felt myself smile widely at the look of pure absorption on Edward's face, all of the despair having been banished at the sound of the music.

"You have no idea how much I want to dance with you right now," he murmured, for once seeming content.

"You say that now. You haven't seen my clumsy nature." I laughed.

"It's all in the leading." He smiled.

"I'd still suck." I smiled back.

"Bella," he said suddenly after a few seconds of just simply listening to the music. "Thank you."

All I could think to say in return was, "I do what I can."

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><p><strong>Want another chapter in three or less days? Then please review and your request shall be granted! <strong>


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine:**

****Wow, thanks again for so many reviews in one chapter! I know that it's not a lot to some people but it is to me so thanks. They inspired me to write this chapter ASAP so that's why I've updated so quickly. Enjoy :) ****

****July 1st 2012 Update: Thanks to UKJay and fmfg for beta'ing this chapter for me :)  
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><p>Despite my promise to Alice – for me to continue trying to free Edward - the next day I spent with Edward was also a stress free one, and neither of us worried about the stupid curse. During the whole day, it almost felt like Edward wasn't even in the mirror, as if the glass was just a mirage. I guessed this was because of the ease of our conversation and the fact that there was no mention of the unpleasant things to come.<p>

I sighed. _If only every day I spent with him could be like that. _

But I couldn't forget what I was supposed to be doing, what I was trying to achieve. Not even for a second.

After such a pleasant weekend with Edward, I couldn't help but feel disgruntled when a rainy Monday morning arrived and I had to go back to school. The arrival of a work-filled day also meant that I had to get back to researching; I wouldn't tell Edward though. I knew he would get upset that I hadn't let the whole thing go as I'd promised, and I'd feel much deserved guilt.

So it was probably wise to keep my thoughts to myself.

Everything was turning out just as it normally did, when I felt my truck gradually begin to slow down, and I was unable to stop myself from lurching forward over the steering wheel when it came to a startling halt.

_Of course this had to happen while I was driving to school!_

Luckily, I got the truck moving for a few extra seconds and crawled over to the side of the road before the car could become immobile and put me, and the people around me, in peril.

_My day just couldn't get any better, could it?_

More irritated than ever, I violently flung the truck door open and stepped into the incessant rain, muttering profanity as I went. Unfortunately, when I had observed every angle of the truck possible, I couldn't see anything that could have caused the sudden break down. This would mean I'd have to take it to Dowling's, a mechanic shop.

I cringed; _well_ _there goes half of my college fund._

Half-frozen to death from the pelting rain, I clambered back into the warmth of my truck, trying to come to a plausible decision. Dowling's would be a last option, I decided.

I was so focused on finding a way to get my truck moving again – besides having it towed and then repaired for a substantial amount of money – the almost inaudible whisper, practically hidden by the overpowering sound of the rain. "Bella?"

I lifted my head, startled by the sudden noise. The voice didn't sound familiar, but in a way it kind of did, as if it were someone that I knew but never talked to.

My eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets when I realised who it was. The person standing outside in the rain was definitely not who I expected, in fact, they were the last person who I would ever expect. With her long blonde hair – which looked luxurious even when drenched – and her aware topaz eyes, which for once weren't narrowed in a glare, I felt as if I were hallucinating.

It was Rosalie.

Stunned, I reached over hesitantly and opened the car door for her so that she could explain why she was here. I assumed that we'd both appreciate it more in the warmth of the heater as opposed to the bitter rain. Accepting my offer with a stiff nod, she got into the car with the confidence of a supermodel and crossed her long legs daintily as she sat down. She then turned to face me, shutting the truck door with her left hand.

"Err … well." I stumbled over my words, not knowing quite what to say.

"Alice sent me here. I'm doing a favour for her, got it?" she asked me sharply, obviously not wanting for me to perceive this as something that it wasn't.

"Uh, yeah … sure," I muttered. "Why didn't Alice just come herself?"

"I'm the best mechanic in the family, so unfortunately the job of fixing your truck falls to me," she explained, sounding bored.

"Oh, thanks?" I said the words like they were a question. This whole thing was beyond weird. Rosalie must really like Alice, or at least owe her something.

"Whatever. Let me take a look."

She opened the car door and sprang lithely out, leaving me to just stare after her through the window. With a bewildereded look on my face, I noticed how she immediately began to survey the exterior of my truck as if it were on sale, not even seeming to care about the pouring rain which was surely soaking her to death. I thought about offering her an umbrella, but thought again. I didn't want to strike up any unnecessary topics that could lead to more glaring and hate, even if my intentions were innocent.

Before I knew it, she was back and sitting beside me. She seemed to have worked impossible quickly. "Hmm, I think I know what's wrong with it, but we'll have to take it back to the garage at my house."

I knew instantly that she was referring to the garage that the Cullens' kept all of their cars in. Alice had tried to impress me with it one day, but every car looked the same to me, so my reaction wasn't exactly what she was expecting…

"But what about school?" I realised suddenly, for the first time noticing how late I was.

She smirked. "You're that much of goody two shoes. Alice has it figured out."

"Of course she does," I muttered.

"I have my BMW parked over there." She pointed out the window and to our right. "I will drive us back to the garage and Emmett will come and take this back." She gestured to the windscreen of the truck as if it were scrap metal, at least in her eyes, still sounding quite smug.

Well smug was better than hostile, I guessed.

"Okay," I said uncertainly, and then left the truck with her, following her to her treasured BMW. Every contour of the thing screamed expensive, so I was a little bit apprehensive as I approached it and got in. She didn't even bother to wait until my seatbelt was done, before abruptly stomping on the accelerator with her designer shoe.

There was an awkward silence for a while but Rosalie didn't seem to mind. She turned up the music on the radio and began humming and nodding her head to a rock song that was playing. I realised that it was an Evanescence song; I was familiar with a few of their popular songs, even the fairly old ones from a few years ago.

"Thanks for doing this," I muttered after a few minutes, fidgeting a little with the zipper on my jacket.

"Whatever."

"No, really, thank you." I was genuinely touched that she'd go out of her way for me, even if it _was _for Alice's sake.

"While we're here, away from the rest of my family, I might as well ask you this," she said after a few minutes, her voice hard with sudden tension.

"Yes?" I replied nervously.

_What could she possibly want to ask me? _

"What are your intentions with my family?" she hissed.

_Wow, she was as blunt as Alice._

"They're very nice people and … I don't know." I frowned. "Alice is one of my good friends."

"Okay, let's just assume that what you're saying is true. What are you doing with my brother then? Edward, I mean." I gave no detectable response, and just sat there, mystified.

"I'm trying to free him, he's my best friend!" You could love your best friend, I technically wasn't hiding anything. I just hoped that she wouldn't see through my white lie.

"Best friend, my ass!" Her eyes narrowed in animosity. "I know what you're doing!"

"What am I doing?" I seriously had no idea what the hell she was implying.

"You're trying to inspire all this hope in my brother and then you'll abandon him at the last minute!" She accused harshly. "That's what you mortals do! You're selfish creatures and you only care about yourselves!"

"I'm going to free him; I'm trying to!" I cried out in shock.

"Yes, you'll free him because that's what's expected of you, but then you'll discard him without a second thought once he's free; you're using him for something. Has he offered you money or something? I bet he has! I bet that's why you're still here!" she said furiously.

"No, you've got it all wrong!" I tried to explain, slightly scared by the magnitude of her rage.

"I really doubt that!" she hissed. "What other motive could you have for staying this long?"

"I … I…" I was suddenly lost for words.

Without thinking about what I was about to do, I made one of those impulse decisions that should really be thought out before acted upon, but I couldn't help it. _How dare she question my motives concerning Edward when they were nothing but pure!_

"You want to know why I've stayed this long?" I glared back at her fiercely, my voice rising considerably in pitch. "Huh? Do you want to know why I spend every second I can with him? It's not some twisted reason as you seem to believe. You could never be more wrong than you are now. I love him okay, I'm in love with him! Now stop questioning my damn motives!" I was so angry; my face redder than humanly possible at my brave outburst.

"What?" Rosalie screeched, the car squealing to a sudden halt in her obvious surprise.

"Yeah, and you're the first person to know about it. I haven't told _anyone_ yet, including Edward, and I wasn't planning to. But I just hate it when people assume things that are entirely false, so I felt I had to tell you so you can stop jumping to the wrong conclusions." My anger was slowly fading away, but I didn't regret my hasty words.

_Probably because it was the most truthful statement that I'd ever uttered. _

"This changes everything," she whispered.

"In a good or a bad way?" I asked her quietly.

"Both. Do you know what this means?" she demanded, but there was no malice in her voice like I would have expected, only calm.

"Uh, no," I said, a little scared by her tone. "Why?"

"Immortals literally only love one person their entire existence. And if your love is true, then you are that person."

"And that means…" I pressed. Besides being incredibly romantic, I had no idea what she meant.

"That's why you have to break the curse, that's why you were chosen over everybody else. It's because you're his true love. It all makes sense now," she whispered in shock, so softly that I almost didn't pick her words up.

"He doesn't even love me back," I replied sadly. "How could?"

She cut me off. "How do you know that?"

"How could someone like him, like someone like me?"

_How could she not understand? It was blatantly obvious to me. He was comparable to Adonis, and I was … nothing. _

"Okay, I do have to admit that you're sort of pretty. Not like me of course." She laughed. "But in your own way. Edward always liked simple things, and a simple girl like you suits his personality perfectly."

"Err, thanks." I wasn't sure if that was an insult or a compliment. Well I guessed being called simple was better than being called ugly.

"At least we know why it's you who has been chosen to free him. Until now, I've had my doubts." She frowned.

"How do I even know if it's love that I'm feeling?" I asked shyly. It was kind of comical that I was asking this, considering that two days ago, I hadn't even bothered to put her on my list of people who I could ask about my mixed emotions.

"Do you feel pain when you are parted from him?" She began.

"I guess so, yeah." There was this feeling that I was missing something essential whenever I wasn't around him; in fact I was feeling it now. "Okay, yes, I do."

"How would you react if I told you he was dead?" She went onto the next question as if I hadn't spoken, her expression impassive.

"When I found out that he was going to disappear, I felt an agonising pain in my chest, as if some vital organ had been ripped from me. I know it sounds really stupid, but that's what I felt," I admitted.

"Do you find him attractive?"

"Yes." My answer was meek. There were no words to describe the perfection of his looks – he had no flaws in that department.

"Do you think that there's someone better than him out in the world?"

"No," I answered without a doubt.

"Can you imagine being with anybody else in that way?"

"Of course not!" I exclaimed, immediately put off by the question. As if I could ever love anybody else or want to be with anyone else when I knew Edward existed; he was my perfect match, the other half of me. Even if he didn't know it, he now owned a part of my heart.

There would be no one but him, I was positive.

"Well then, there's your answer, and I'm sure that he feels the same way." She smiled.

She _smiled_?

_What the hell? Before today, she was looking at me like I was something dirty, and now she's giving me love advice?_

"Try that now, when you research stuff, I mean. You might actually find stuff on how to free him."

"Thanks, Rosalie," I said timidly, but also sincerely, in response. A few more minutes passed before she spoke again.

"I'm sorry that I've been such a bitch towards you whenever you're around. It's just that I'm just naturally suspicious around people," she replied a little ruefully.

My words were uncertain. "That's okay. As long as we're good now, right?"

She laughed in response, the sound like tinkling bells. "You're better than I thought you were." But then she sighed. "I'm sorry; I'm never going to be the way Alice is with you. I just hope that we'll be civil from now on."

"That's fine. As long as we're on good terms, it's fine with me," I assured her, relieved at what our talk had come to.

"Good to know." She grinned. "Thank you so much for helping my brother. Now I can see that I was blinded by prejudice, and your intentions are only good. I feel very grateful that I know."

"I'm doing all that I can," I murmured.

"Well, I better get started on the Chevy then."

I hadn't even noticed that she'd continued driving halfway through our conversation, and that we were just outside the Cullen estate.

I was too lost in my thoughts to care.

"Yes," I replied absently.

I finally had a lead, and now maybe, just maybe, I could find out how to free Edward.

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><p><strong>If you'd like a chapter in less than three days then please review and I'll see what it is that I can do ;) <strong>


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten:**

**Thanks for all the reviews again! You guys inspire me to write! Enjoy the chapter :) **

**Update: 12th July 2012: Thanks to LoveLeVampyre and beautifulnightmarex for beta'ing this chapter for me :)  
><strong>

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><p>To my great disappointment, I was told by a very serious-faced Alice, that I had to go back to school once my truck was fixed. She had seen something '"very consequential" happening if I didn't go, and I knew better than to ignore her advice. Still, that hadn't stopped my insatiable curiosity from flaring up, and I tried to force her to tell me what was going on. She simply shook her head, and asked for me to trust her.<p>

So I let all my thoughts of trying to decode the inner workings of Alice's mind drift away, and focused on getting safely to school.

As well as fixing my truck, Rosalie had also improved a few of its features. I didn't get car-jargon, but I certainly felt the difference as I was driving. The ride was a lot more smoother than before and I couldn't hear the loud grumbling of the engine anymore. My eardrums were celebrating. I was glad that she was no longer hostile towards me, and if the situation was totally different, then I would have been elated –– I was too wracked with worry about Edward to focus on such trivial things at the moment to focus on any other emotion, especially ones that made me feel happy when Edward was not.

Before I knew it, I was at school, and class had started. I had barely noticed walking from my truck into class due to being so deep in thought about how to free Edward – which was where my mind wandered to constantly these days – and was quite startled when I was broken out of my reverie about Edward by my irritated home-room teacher.

"Respond, Miss Swan, when I call your name for roll-call," she snapped. I mumbled a quick sorry and tried to pay attention to the notices she read out. It was harder to do than I thought.

Despite having already been scolded by a teacher for the first time since I could remember I planned to break some of my own unspoken rules and research on how to free Edward during class using some of the keywords that Rosalie had suggested. Thank goodness for my phone having an Internet connection!

It worked up until second period.

"Miss Swan!" Mr. Banner, my biology teacher, reprimanded, his tone blatantly pissed off. "You know better than to text in class."

"Sorry, Mr. Banner," I said meekly, as I handed my precious mobile over. I gritted my teeth in anger when I heard Lauren's quiet snickering behind me, but kept my mouth shut. I was in enough trouble already.

"You can come and collect this from me at the end of the day. Since it's the first time it's been confiscated, there will be no detention. But if you break this rule again, I hope you understand why I'll have to put you in there."

"I understand," I assured him as he frowned, resuming his lecture as if nothing had interrupted him.

So in my next class, English, I was forced to stare at the teacher and actually pay attention. I groaned internally as my teacher –– Mr. Berty –– rolled a portable TV on a rolling stand into the classroom; this would have been the perfect opportunity to research had I not gotten my phone confiscated. I tried to keep the frustration off of my face as I listened to my teacher.

"I think you'll like what I'm going to show you today. It's going to be our film study for this term, so pay attention," Mr. Berty began.

People began to hoot and talk excitedly amongst themselves. A movie meant no lectures for a few days at least. I didn't have it in me to be as excited as the others. They didn't seem to realise that we would watch most of the movie today, as it was a double period.

It took Mr. Berty a few minutes to quiet everyone down. The majority of the class spoke in whispers, their words too low to make out. I didn't care about what they were talking about in any case.

Mr. Berty continued talking about the movie after the class had become silent. "It has themes such as love, respect, and acceptance, and I'd like for you to identify the others. It'll be a part of the quiz I'm going to set for you."

I heard a few groans.

"What movie is it?" Jessica asked.

"It's a modern day version of _Beauty and the Beast_. _Beastly_ is its name. I thought I'd use this version as it was only made a year ago, so you people may be able to identify with it better. I expect better marks from all of you this time, the last test had horrific marks!"

"Ooh, Alex Pettefyer!" some of the girls around me giggled. I didn't even know who they were raving on about, and didn't really care anyway; I already had my man, even if he wasn't even really mine.

A girl could dream right?

Before anyone else could make any more comments, Mr. Berty began the film.

I squirmed uncomfortably in my seat, as I realised how ironic this movie was. First of all it was about a boy with a problem, a supernatural problem, one that was caused by someone else, someone not entirely human. This got me thinking about Edward and how he was trapped in the mirror when it wasn't even his fault, by a supernatural being. Then there was a completely ordinary, mundane girl who had to break a "curse" with a time limit. Just like me.

Okay, this was getting a little scary.

Then again, maybe I could get some ideas from the film after all!

I watched the movie carefully, cringing again and again as I perceived little things in it that seemed to represent my life at the moment. The main girl, Lindy, loved the cursed boy, Kyle, even though he was beyond help –– just like Edward.

Entranced by the movie, and leaning off the edge of my chair in suspense, I was interested to see whether Lindy could break the curse or not. I frowned as I watched Lindy leave before Kyle could give her his love letter, and before she could have the chance to say that she loved him back. It meant that Kyle would be cursed as a beast forever –– I really hoped that this wasn't a reflection of what was going to happen to Edward, that he would disappear forever.

It was at the very end of the movie – when Lindy told Kyle that she loved him, and the spell was broken, that I had a startling revelation, one that almost made me fall out of my seat in shock. And thank the heavens above that Rosalie had that talk with me! I would never have had the epiphany I had now as a result of the movie if she hadn't had.

I knew what I had to do.

I knew my idea was right. I could feel it. All I had to do now was act on that heory as soon as I possibly could.

"Mr. Berty!" I put my hand up frantically.

"Yes, Miss Swan?"

"Uh… uh… I have to go to the bathroom," I told him, jumping up and down on my seat, unable to contain my sudden elation. Even my peers' snickering at my sudden outburst couldn't dissipate it. He signed me a lavatory pass with a sigh, and then I was running, running towards the parking lot faster than I'd ever had before.

Not even caring who saw me, even if it was the school principal, I quickly got into my truck and then drove off towards my house as fast as the speed limit would allow; my grin perceivable from miles away.

As soon as I had reached my house, and without even bothering to take out my car-key from the ignition, I flung the truck door open, and raced to the front door. I fumbled with my house key in my rush to get inside. With a final click of the lock, I burst through the door. It was a miracle that I didn't stumble as I bolted up the stairs, and ran straight to the mirror. I pressed my hand eagerly against the cold glass, and grinned even more widely at the confused look on Edward's face when he appeared.

"Why are you home so early?" he said in astonishment.

"What? Have you been carving the minutes inside the mirror?" I giggled, while he smiled sheepishly at me. I found it really sweet how he knew exactly how long I had been gone. It made the next few words a whole lot easier to say.

"Edward, I have something to tell you," I said, breathless.

"Something important enough that you skipped school for me?" he asked dubiously.

"Of course!" I'd do anything for him; my whole self was programmed to help him.

"Well then, what is it?"

"I know how to free you Edward!" I told him, my excitement almost palpable.

He sighed, and then his expression became wistful.

"We've been through this. You can't." He frowned. "I can feel my life essence fading away more and more as each second passes; I think I only have a few days left. There is nothing you can do to save me."

"Edward," I began, suddenly becoming very nervous at what I was about to utter. I was sure that any other girl in the world with no experience as to what I was about to do would have exactly the same troubles. "I had a huge revelation recently, and I think it has a part in freeing you. I love you, and there's no other way to describe how I feel about you, but through those words."

"What did you just say?" he whispered, his eyes widening as if he couldn't believe my words, as if he'd misheard.

"I, I love you," I repeated, frowning. Nothing was happening. Why was nothing happening? This was supposed to be working!

"Say it again." He smiled, closing his eyes in sudden contentment.

"I love you." Damn, and I was sure it was going to work. At least he knew how I felt now, and he didn't look disgusted like I expected he would.

"Do you mean it?" he murmured, his golden eyes suddenly staring intensely into mine.

"Of course I do, why else would I say it?" I said in bewilderment, wondering why he'd think otherwise.

"You don't know how long I've waited to hear you say that!" He sighed. "If you don't mind, could you say it again?"

What did that mean? I couldn't dare myself to hope that he loved me too as my heart was sometimes misleading and made me see things in people that weren't even there. Despite that, I complied with his request.

"I love you. I love you. I love you."

"I love you too, my Bella." I thought I heard him whisper before the mirror shattered.

**3rd person**

Somewhere in the distance, far from where Edward and Bella resided, the beings that trapped him lashed out in fury. They swore that they would find him, and when they did, he would suffer a fate worse than being trapped inside a mirror, one worse than death.

They were coming.

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><p><strong>I know I'm mean to end it here but if you all review, then the next chapter will be up in less than three days. Just in case you're wondering, the next chapter isn't the last one as there are still many complications that remain unresolved. <strong>


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

**OME! Thanks so much for all of the reviews! I got twice as many as usual which made my day, and I've actually made it over 100 reviews which is awesome :) **

**As for the singer phenomenon which team cullen asked about in a review, I actually hadn't thought about that and did contemplate adding it to the story when she mentioned it. However, I decided to be nice and take away one obstacle for Edward and Bella. They'll have enough to come soon enough ;) **

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><p>I have no idea what I expected to happen – whether it would be a bright light which would pulse from the mirror and then fade, leaving nothing in its place, or for it to simply disintegrate into nothing – but it wasn't this. Tiny, almost microscopic shards of glass soared into different directions in the room and I narrowly avoided getting cut as I ducked and covered my face with my hands in a feeble attempt to protect it.<p>

When I uncovered them it was just in time, for Edward was stepping out of what was left of the mirror, a look of pure shock but also exultation on his perfect face, the frame of the mirror almost looking like support from the way Edward was gripping it with his usually sure hands as he finally stepped out. As soon as all contact was lost with the mirror, the frame began to melt and in a few seconds all that was left was a large stain of gold on the carpet.

At that moment I simply didn't care about the things that I would eventually have to explain to Charlie – the glass that was now causing the floor of my room to become hazardous, and the absolutely huge stain – because the look in Edward's golden eyes swept that all away and all I could think about was him.

For a few seconds, we stared at each other with complete disbelief, neither of us breathing or saying a word, and then he was running towards me in a standstill of time and I was in his arms, locked in his unbreakable embrace.

"Is this real?" he asked, nuzzling his face into my hair affectionately. I laughed both at his question and the fact that I felt like asking the same thing. Relief was also a big factor.

Hmm, perhaps Rosalie was right after all.

Right about Edward reciprocating my feelings that is, as well as the trigger of breaking the curse.

"I'm so glad that it worked." I smiled. Suddenly I felt him pull back, an incomprehensible frown present on his face. I tried not to let my hurt show as I tilted my head up to look at him. I suddenly noted how much taller than me he was to try and distract myself from the pain of rejection.

"Bella, be truthful with me. Did you just say that you loved me because you knew that it would free me?" he asked, his own eyes betraying how wounded he was. To discover that he had as many insecurities as I did helped my own to disappear for a minute so that I could effectively make sure that there would be no more misunderstandings between us.

It took me a minute to realise that he did indeed share the same feelings as me, and that if I just made myself clear then everything would be fine.

He took my minute of silence as an affirmation of what he'd just assumed, and he avoided my gaze, his eyes swept the floor, trying to not let me see how much this hurt him.

"That's okay, it doesn't even…"

"Edward." I cut him off before he could assume anything more and interpret the continuation of my silence as the blasphemy that I classified it as. "I meant what I said. I love you, I still do."

"Don't worry Bella, I get it. You love me as a best friend. That's all; you don't have to explain it to me."

"You idiot," I said softly. "I love you more than a best friend. I love you in the way that means I want to be with you until my death, forever. I love you in the way that means I want to kiss you so much right now, and I want more than anything else for you to be mine."

"Really." His eyes lit up as if I'd just told him that he'd just won the lottery. "You better not be just saying that."

"As if I'd do that! Love is not a thing to be taken lightly." I laughed, almost sighing with pleasure as his hands cupped my face and he stepped impossibly close to me, our chests almost touching.

"You don't know how happy it makes me to hear you say that."

"You don't know how happy it makes me to finally be saying that."

"Touché." He laughed, his lips just centimetres from mine, so close that I could feel his cool breath caress my face. It took all of my carefully built self-control not to complete the distance.

"Just kiss me already," I told him.

He didn't need to be told twice, and suddenly his mouth was on mine. I didn't have anything to compare it to as this was my first kiss but the feeling of his cool lips moving in sync with mine was definitely something I wanted to repeat. There was an undeniable spark, and I could now see why people compared kissing to fireworks, something I could never understand when I was younger. The best thing about it was that it wasn't rushed and feverish. It was incredibly sweet, and it didn't feel like an attempt to control lust, but acted as a portrayal of love, which was exactly what I wanted it to be.

He was the first to pull back. I didn't understand why he wanted to pull back from something so wonderful, so quickly but the look of unquestionable adoration and bliss on his face stopped my insecurities in their tracks. However, it didn't escape my notice that he seemed to be trying to hold something back within him, and I had no idea what that was.

Despite all of that, I still couldn't help but ask. "Are my kissing skills bad?"

"Of course not, it was very enjoyable." He grinned. "Then again, I have nothing to compare it to…" He trailed off.

"Wait! Hold up, that was your first kiss too?" I asked, shock written plainly over all of my features. He seemed so experienced, so knowledgeable. Maybe that was why he'd pulled back so early, because like me, he apparently had no idea what he was doing. Then again, I thought we were doing pretty well…

He seemed a little embarrassed as he answered. "You don't get around much when you're stuck in a mirror. Then again, I wouldn't have anyway until I met you."

Hmm, I'd just assumed that he'd edited out any past relationships that he'd been involved in to avoid awkwardness between us when he'd told me of his pre-immortal life. I couldn't quite contain the rush of pleasure that ran through me and the blush that coloured my cheeks when I realised what he'd just implied.

Then I remembered what Rosalie had told me.

"Immortals only love one person their whole existence," I recounted with perfect clarity – how could I forget something like that anyway?

"How do you know that?" he asked, seeming a little stunned.

"Rosalie told me."

"Rosalie?" He said her name like a question, sounding appropriately confused.

"She and I sorted out our… differences and we're on good terms now. She was the person who partly helped me figure this all out."

"Rosalie," he repeated, still dazed.

"Yeah, it was hard for me to process at first too," I admitted.

"It's true you know," he said quietly after a few seconds of silence, wrapping his arms around my waist. "I will love you forever, and I mean that quite literally."

I couldn't help but smile widely at that.

"But how is this going to work." He frowned. "I'll live forever, you won't."

"It doesn't matter right now. Right now, all I can think about is that you're free and I'm in your arms."

"It's still a big problem, one that will keep coming up," he hesitated, unable to quite let his fears go.

"How did you become immortal anyway?" I wondered. "You can just do the same thing to me."

His face turned whiter than bone.

"No."

"Why?" I asked stubbornly.

"You don't understand Bella. There are many things you don't know yet. Look, I'll explain this all later, but not right now. You're right; we should focus on the present for now. I'm free and we're together. That's all that matters right now." He took a deep breath.

"Yes," I said easily, wanting to go back to the tension-free atmosphere that we were a part of before I entered into this blatantly touchy subject. However, I planned not to let go of this topic; I would bring it up later.

"I still can't believe that I'm free." He sighed happily. "I thought you'd never find it out."

"Wait, you knew the whole time? Why didn't you just give me a clue?"

"The people, who trapped me taunted me cruelly with the answer to the cure and put a spell on me so that I couldn't reveal what it was. I was so hopeful in the beginning when you came. I could feel the connection between us and I hoped that that would mean that you felt it too."

"I did," I admitted. "I was just too scared of rejection to tell you."

"We both had the same problems then." He laughed. "When you said that I was disappearing, I knew that I had no hope. I had run out of time for me to make you love me like I loved you. You called me your best friend; that was all. I couldn't make you feel something for me that you didn't."

"I was trying to protect my own feelings, that was why I didn't let on the extent of what I felt."

"Okay, before anything gets as much out of hand as it has these past few weeks, let's make a pact that we will always be clear with each other as much as possible or necessary."

"How about we just be clear, full stop," I suggested, wanting no misunderstandings to hinder us ever again.

"Deal." He laughed and instead of giving me a handshake, he gave me a quick kiss.

Definitely preferable.

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><p><strong>Could you please be as awesome (or more awesome) as you were in the last chapter and give me some reviews. If you do, a chapter will be uploaded in less than three days ;) <strong>


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

**I really can't believe how awesome you guys were in your reviewing last chapter! You don't know how good it felt (and still feels) to have a story that people actually like and are bothered to review. 145 reviews, I still can't believe it! Enjoy the chapter :) **

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><p>It wasn't until two hours after my reunion – well it kind of was in a way – with Edward that I realised how selfish I was being by keeping him here to myself instead of taking him to his family. He may be in love with me but he probably hadn't seen his family in months, perhaps years and would definitely prefer being with them than with being with me at the present.<p>

There was plenty of time to spend with each other later anyway. _Plenty more time for kissing,_ I found myself thinking and then flushed a delicate pink for thinking such a thing. Edward asked me curiously about the catalyst for the blush, for he'd said nothing humiliating or humorous, but I wouldn't reveal it – it was too embarrassing.

When I reminded him of his family, he was very obliged and eagerly insisted that I go with him. I was the hero of the day after all, according to him.

Before we went, he helped me to sweep up all of the glass – well he swept it up while I talked to him, as he was worried that I would step on a shard of glass by accident, and didn't want me to get injured unnecessarily – and tried fruitlessly to scrub the yellow stain out of the carpet with detergent.

Unfortunately it looked like it was stuck there for good; I'd just have to tell Charlie that I was experimenting with acrylic paints and accidently squeezed too hard on one of the packets. Edward found this idea to be too unlikely due to the size of the stain and suggested that I should say that I was painting my room.

"But why would I paint my room yellow?" I asked.

"Perhaps because yellow has been known to lift up people's spirits. That is, according to a website that you were looking at for school," He said with a wink.

"Why is there no paint on the walls then?" I challenged jokingly.

"Well we're just going to have paint them then, aren't we?" He smirked.

I groaned theatrically. "That's going to take forever."

"Do you find my company irritating, Miss Swan?" he joked.

"No I don't Mr. Cullen, but I really think that we should go visit your family now. Who cares about the damn walls!"

"Who cares indeed? Has Charlie slipped your mind?"

"Ha, I've got it! I tripped over the can of paint before I could start. So there!"

"Okay, I'll admit it, that's very likely, for you anyway. You win."

I grinned. "Oh yeah! Now let's go visit your family."

"I still think we should paint the walls." He ruffled my hair playfully, and his eyes portrayed his excitement at finally being able to see his family again.

"Come on." My fingers interlaced with his as I took his hand and led him downstairs.

"Hmm, I always wondered what the rest of your house looked like," He commented.

"Not as flashy as your house obviously," I replied.

He smiled. "I like simple."

We exited the house, and I fought a smile of my own at the sight of Edward looking at his surroundings with such awe. His fingers brushed against the coarse bark of a tree on my front lawn with an almost reverent touch, and I squeezed his other hand – it was very cold and hard, poor circulation, perhaps, was the reason.

"It must be refreshing to see something new," I mused.

"You have no idea."

I let him stand there for a few seconds more before lightly pulling him to my truck – well at least I tried to. He didn't budge an inch so I tugged with a little more force, but he still didn't move. I wondered how he was so strong. Either that or I was very weak.

"Sorry," he murmured, and I couldn't help but think that his apology had a double meaning. However I brushed off that thought and focused on getting Edward to move. He finally followed me to my truck a few seconds later but his reaction was not one that I appreciated.

"So this is _the truck_." He laughed as he appraised it. Like Rosalie, he seemed to regard my truck as scrap metal.

"Hey, it's a very faithful vehicle."

He rolled his eyes. "It's not a dog Bella."

"Get in already." I pushed him towards the truck playfully.

…

The drive to the Cullen house didn't feel very long, as Edward and I both chatted attentively the way there, our hands still interlaced. I knew that it was a bit reckless to be driving with only one hand on the steering wheel, but having my other hand in Edward's convinced me about how real this all was.

I still couldn't believe it.

Edward commented mostly on how things had changed from when he'd last been here, and I listened with fascination. After all, the last time that he'd been here was back when Ephraim Black was around. One of his descendants – Rachel Black – had told me on one of my last summer visits here when I visited La Push – a little reservation not far from here – about how her great grandfather had been the head of the tribe. She hadn't told me anymore though, something about keeping tribe secrets. I guess that she wanted to have some leverage over me in case there was something she wanted from me in the future.

The opportunity never presented itself as I'd only stayed for two weeks and I hadn't seen her since.

I'd always wanted to go to La Push again, just for sentimental reasons; maybe Edward would come with me.

"Hey, Edward." Now was as great a time as any. "Have you been to La Push before?"

I expected him to grin and answer me back teasingly, but that was not how he reacted. Not in the slightest.

Something flashed in eyes that I couldn't quite decipher and his voice was curt, guarded as he answered.

"No. Why do you ask?"

"I was just thinking that we could go there together sometime," I said quietly, a trifle shocked by his sudden coldness.

He seemed to pull himself together at the sound of my quietly spoken words and his face slipped back into the friendly mask that it had worn previously. His eyes radiated remorse.

"I'm sorry. It's not you." He sighed, squeezing my hand in apology.

"Did something happen there," I asked carefully.

"No, I'm just… not welcome there."

"What did you do?"

"Let's just say that the people there don't take too kindly to people who aren't human."

"What is with everyone?" I said furiously. "Just because you live forever doesn't mean that you're dangerous or cruel."

His golden eyes became unfathomably sad at this.

"Wait! So everyone knows that you're immortal over there?" I asked.

"No, only the older residents of La Push who are decedents of the original tribe."

"Original tribe meaning…?" I pressed.

"Ephraim Black, Levi Uley and Quil Ateara."

"But I still don't understand. Why they would barricade you from their reservation."

"They believed me to be dangerous. Some of their descendants still do."

"But why?" I repeated.

"You've been very understanding, not everyone else is capable of being as open as you have been," he explained.

Still, they had to have a valid reason for exiling him from La Push. Just being different shouldn't automatically give other people an invitation to be hostile.

"I'll never see those people the same way ever again," I muttered. I'd never liked Rachel anyway.

Luckily as soon as I'd finished speaking, we'd turned into the Cullens' front lawn. I felt slightly nervous and I knew that Edward probably felt a lot worse. Even though it would be exciting for him to see his family again, there was also the fact that he hadn't talked to them in years.

"You ready?" I asked him.

"Yeah, I think I am," he replied, and then gave me a quick peck on the lips before we got out of the car. Alice was already waiting for us on the porch steps and ran over gracefully to where we were standing – was it just me or was the run a little too fast to be normal – and hugged Edward, and then me with a big grin on her face.

"I haven't told them," she whispered almost inaudibly. "I wanted you two to surprise them."

"What's going on?" I heard Emmett grumble loudly from inside. "Alice! Why won't you let us greet Bella like usual?"

"Go," she murmured, pushing us both lightly ahead with her fingertips. We walked up the porch steps slowly, and then paused at the door. I gave him a reassuring smile and then we walked inside.

At first there was silence, all of Edward's family seemed to be unable to process what was right in front of them, as they all stood there, frozen. Then shock crossed their faces, then confusion, and then all different reactions made themselves known.

Esme let out a surprising squeal of delight and then ran over to us, hugging Edward tightly.

"Wow Bella, you actually did it," Emmett said, sounding astonished. For once his words contained not even a pinch of humour in them, just plain awe.

Jasper walked over to Edward and clapped his back, once Esme had finally released him.

"I knew Bella could do it." He grinned.

Carlisle simply said, 'welcome back son.' And like Esme, gave him a tight hug.

And finally, Rosalie smiled at Edward and I, keeping her distance but seeming genuinely pleased that her brother was finally free.

"Nobody should ever doubt my visions ever again. You got that guys," Alice told us all sternly, joining our unconsciously formed circle around Edward. "Jasper kept telling me that everyone was losing hope, and he ought to know."

Alice had told me about the all of her family's powers at one dull lunchtime in the cafeteria, and I understood that she was referring to Jasper's talent of controlling and reading emotions right now. Hmm, she never told me if Edward had a power or not, she seemed to avoid the subject whenever I asked her.

Weird.

We all laughed. "Sorry Alice."

"I can't believe you guys doubted me," I said in mock hurt.

"Come on," Emmett said loudly. "You doubted yourself."

"I won't deny that," I agreed.

"So Bella," Emmett began, looking furtively around him as if he were about to get in trouble. "Has Edward told you about vampires yet?"

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><p><strong>Do you mind if the villains that I use for this story are my own creation or would you prefer the villains to be ones that already exist? (E.g. the Volturi) <strong>

**Let me know what you think, and if you all review then another chapter will be up in less than three days ;) **


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

**Thanks so much for the reviews and support people! You guys are awesome :) **

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><p>The second the words were out of Emmett's mouth, everyone in the room – with the exception of myself – stiffened. They all wore identical masks of shock. I was bewildered as to why; I had no idea what Emmett was referring to and why it was such a big deal.<p>

Suddenly, with an audible gasp I realised why the word caused such a reaction among them and the reason for everyone's sudden rigidity.

"Vampires. That's it! Those are the creatures who trapped Edward."

Everyone seemed to relax a little at my words; the exception being Edward, who tried unsuccessfully to hide his worry. To hide it and to alleviate the awkward atmosphere that had come to be, he gave me a tense smile – I wished that he wouldn't try to hide his emotions from me.

"Not quite," Carlisle replied while the others tried to cover up their amused expressions with blatantly phony coughing.

"Then what did Emmett mean?" I said, feeling very confused and out of the loop.

"Emmett is just an idiot sometimes," Edward explained, shooting a glare at his brother.

"Yeah, I was just talking about a… uh video game," Emmett told me. "I really want a girl to play to prove that girls can play video games too, and Rosalie, Alice and Esme refuse to."

"Okay then," I allowed. "But why did you ask Edward if he'd told me about it. He's been trapped in a mirror for how long?" I turned to Edward for confirmation, realising that I'd never once asked him.

"Since 1955, perhaps? Oh yes, it was five years after Alice and Jasper's wedding. So fifty years ago, I think. It is 2005 isn't it?"

"Fifty," I repeated in shock. "Wow. I just can't wrap my head around so many years of being trapped, unable to do anything."

"They were a lonely fifty years." His arm wrapped around my waist tightly as if for assurance that I was still there and hadn't disappeared without his knowledge. I welcomed his touch too as I needed assurance also.

"Wait a second. Are you guys together?" Emmett raised one of his dark eyebrows, finally noticing our intimacy.

"Well, judging by their emotions right now…," Jasper said before I could even answer him.

"And my insight into their future," Alice added brightly.

"As well as what's right in front of us." Rosalie grinned.

"I think we can say that they are," Jasper finished.

"Wow. And I thought that you were going to be a virgin forever." Emmett waggled his eyebrows suggestively at Edward who scowled back at him. I on the other hand, blushed a deep red for everyone to laugh at.

I was relieved when no one did.

We'd only just gotten together and I didn't even want to contemplate that sort of thing – hell, I couldn't even think the word in my own mind – yet when everything was still so new to me in that department.

"We're getting off topic here," I reminded them, still chagrined. I doubted that the blush had fully faded from my cheeks yet.

"Cut us some slack, no one expected for this to happen," Emmett protested.

"Well I kind of did," Alice commented.

"Yeah, but no one else has physic abilities like you, sis."

"Agreed." She laughed.

Esme broke out of the unintentional circle that we'd formed to embrace Edward and I again, a bright smile on her face at the new information that had been revealed. "You two will be great together. I can tell just by looking at you together that that is true," she gushed.

"Thanks Esme," I replied sincerely. It was important to me that I had her approval, and apparently I did, as judged by her pleased words and actions. The others seemed to approve of us as well but what did I know.

"We all support your relationship Bella, if that's what you're worried about," Jasper informed me, obviously sensing my worry.

"Thanks Jasper," I replied in relief.

"Of course they do." Edward squeezed me around the waist lightly and kissed the top of my head.

_Hmm, what was I talking about before everyone began fawning over our relationship?_ I thought. I couldn't seem to remember. I'd thought that it was important but it had totally slipped from my mind so maybe it wasn't.

Hmm...

It wasn't until Edward was driving me home a few hours later that I remembered, and by then it felt useless to ask.

…

"What was it like seeing your family after all these years?" I asked him once we were both comfortably seated – cuddling together – and talking casually on the couch in my living room. Charlie would have a heart attack if he walked in and saw a boy in my room, even if it was for innocent purposes.

"It was very overwhelming, but in a good way." He tacked on at the end when he noticed my surprise.

"How so?"

"It was a little funny actually. They all were containing the joy that they felt because they thought that it would overwhelm me, but I could hear it all in my head." He chuckled.

"Hear it in your head?" I echoed his words in shock.

"I can read minds. Didn't Alice tell you that?" he asked dubiously.

I frowned. "No, she's kept quite a bit from me actually."

"Then how did you know to block yours?"

"I didn't. I'm not blocking anything," I replied.

"But why can't I hear you then?"

"Whatever is happening, I'm not doing anything to cause it."

"Hmm, that's very frustrating."

"It's like that for the rest of us you know," I reminded him with a smile. "How can it be frustrating?"

"I've always wanted to get a glimpse into your fascinating head. The mirror took away all my abilities so I just assumed that's why I couldn't hear yours...," he trailed off.

I flushed. "It's probably not that interesting."

"Would you want to read mine if the situation was reversed?" he offered.

"Well, yes. I suppose I get your point." I nodded. Hearing his thoughts would be more valuable to me than all of the money in the world; I couldn't deny that.

"Then you must understand how frustrating it is."

"Speaking of frustrating," I began, suddenly remembering what I'd neglected to mention in the car. "Can you explain to me what Emmett meant? It felt like everyone was evading my question."

"Okay then," he said slowly as if he were stalling for more time.

"Go on," I pressed.

"Uh fine. I… I'm scared of vampires, okay," he finally said, his face seeming unfathomably contrite instead of embarrassed like I would have guessed. Something about his words sounded wrong, like he was trying to hide something. But Edward wouldn't lie to me, he wouldn't!

Would he?

No, of course not. It was stupid to not trust him, why would he lie anyway? Trust was a fundamental part of a relationship; I'd be a horrible lover if I didn't believe in it.

"Is that all?" I forced myself to laugh, trying to shake off the nagging feeling inside of me.

"Yeah, pretty much. You see, Emmett likes to tease me with things. The others were upset because they thought that I didn't deserve to be made fun of when I'd just made it back to them," he explained. Again, something didn't seem right.

And once again, I shook the feeling off.

I snorted. "Ha, it's not like they're real or anything."

"Yes, that's true."

"I just can't imagine someone like _Dracula_ blending in with everyday people."

"Charlie's coming," Edward said abruptly, pulling away from my embrace and standing up, about to leave.

"How do you know?" I demanded.

"I hear his car," he murmured.

"I didn't hear anything," I muttered as I stood up with him and peeked out the window. Sure enough, Charlie's car was parked in the driveway and he was shutting the police cruiser's door with a thud.

"Crap!" I panicked, frantically looking at Edward for a solution.

"I guess he'll just have to meet me then," he said cheerfully, before sitting back down. With an irritated scowl directed the door, I sat down next to him and repressed the urge to grab Edward's hand to soothe my panic.

Charlie wouldn't like it if I did that, and I didn't want him to hate Edward from first glance due to my stupidity.

Then again, there probably wasn't any way to prevent that even if I didn't show any public affection towards Edward. The key turned in the lock and I heard Charlie's cheerful whistling as he walked through.

He'd obviously had a good day.

Well I was about to ruin that for him, this was a father's worst nightmare.

"Bells," he called out.

"In here Dad." My voice still sounded slightly panicky and being the cop that he was, he sensed that straight away.

"What's wrong Be…," he trailed off when he'd entered the room and saw what awaited him there.

"Hi Dad," I said nervously.

"You never told me that you were going to have a friend over?" He frowned.

"Er… you never said anything against it," I replied meekly.

"Hmm, friends might be good for you instead of being cooped up in your room all day."

"Er... dad, he's not…," Charlie cut off my words as if he knew what I was going to say but was afraid of hearing the words.

"I don't seem to have met you before boy, who are your parents?" Charlie questioned Edward. I winced at his mini interrogation.

"Carlisle and Esme Cullen, sir," Edward replied politely.

"I don't seem to have met you before. Are you Emmett or Jasper? Carlisle mentions his sons every chance he gets."

"Neither sir. My real parents sent me to live with Carlisle and Esme because they were too engrossed in their work and thought I needed someone to take care of me emotionally," he explained smoothly. Wow, he was a good liar. Then again he_ was_ telling part of the truth.

"Oh." Was all Charlie could think to stay.

"It's fine. Carlisle and Esme provide me with a much better life," Edward replied.

"Well you seem like a good friend for Bella, and Bella seems like the perfect friend for you," he said gruffly.

"Well actually," Edward started but I cut him off, wanting Charlie's forthcoming anger to be directed at me, not him.

"We're dating." And I bravely took Edward's hand in mine.

At my words, Charlie's face turned an unhealthy shade of purple and he spluttered out a few curse words under his breath. After he'd gotten over the shock of it all, he turned to Edward.

"Would you excuse us?" he asked him, obviously having to fight against his anger and keep his voice civil. Edward left the room without a word, but sent an apologetic glance my way before he went.

As soon as Edward had left the room, Charlie turned to face me, evidently furious.

"We never discussed this; I never said that you could date."

"You never said that I couldn't," I countered. "I'm seventeen. You and mum got married when you were a year older than I am now."

"And look how that turned out," he retorted.

"Dad, he's just a boy."

"Do you know what boys can lead to?" he fumed. "Pregnancy, responsibility and no real teenage experiences, that's what! You'll be tied to that boy forever. You'll make the biggest mistake of your life."

"Is that what I am, a mistake?" I demanded, trying to let my hurt show so that he'd stop drawing erroneous conclusions.

"I didn't mean it in that way, and you know that." His anger had decreased a little and his tone changed to one that was apologetic as he realised what he'd said. Good, I'd made him feel bad, and I didn't feel the slightest bit guilty.

"Can you stop overreacting? I thought you trusted me."

He sighed. "I do trust you. Its hormone-driven, teenage boys that I don't trust."

"Edward's different. I swear. Just give him a chance," I pleaded.

"I don't like this." He frowned, but his voice was finally tranquil, at least a little. He obviously didn't like fighting with me.

"Please," I said one final plea.

"I don't like this but I'll give him a chance. One chance and that's it. Prove me wrong, okay," he said uncertainly.

"Thanks so much, Dad." I leant forward to give him an awkward hug which he returned just as awkwardly.

"I just don't want you to get hurt. I used to be a teenage boy once so I know what they're like."

"I meant what I said before. Edward's different, but in a good way," I added at the end for good measure.

"He better be," I thought I heard him mutter before sauntering out of the kitchen. I didn't know whether to go find Edward or just stay here, however the problem solved itself – Edward was suddenly at my side a few seconds after Charlie had left. Wow he was fast! I buried my head into his chest and tried to contain the sudden chagrin that I felt – an after effect of the argument, I guess.

There was a few minutes of comfortable silence between us before Edward sighed and stepped back from me.

"It wouldn't help things if I'm around right now. It's better to let him accustom to the idea of us without me present."

"I don't want for you to go," I said wistfully, curling my fingers around his cold wrist.

"And I don't want to leave, but trust me. You'll see me soon," he promised me.

I smiled wryly. "I remember when it used to be the other way around."

"I'm glad those days are over, but in a way I miss them," he admitted.

"I know what you mean." I sighed, releasing his wrist and stepping back also. "You're right. Charlie does need some time."

"You'll be sick of me before long." He grinned.

"I really doubt that. Bye." I grinned back before he exited the room. It was only half a second later before he was back, and I rolled my eyes at his so called resolve to leave before Charlie got any more madder than he already was.

"That was hardly a way to say goodbye," he mocked.

"We can't really do anything with Charlie here, we'll both get lost in the moment," I said, disappointed, but I knew that it was still true.

"But I can still say this." His golden eyes softened. "I love you."

My whole insides turned to jelly, and I felt myself smile broadly. I loved it when he said those words; it made me feel special, like I was the luckiest girl on this earth.

"I love you too," I murmured. With a rather large smile of his own, he left the room.

I could feel the discomfort of his absence already.

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><p><strong>Don't you think that with a longer than usual and good quality (I hope) chapter as well as the fact that I worked pretty hard on it, that I deserve a review? Remember, lots of reviews equal an update in less than three days ;) <strong>


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

**Thanks again for the reviews :)  
><strong>

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><p>Charlie's anger seemed to have significantly dissipated when I joined him in the sitting room a few minutes after Edward had left, and he surprisingly made no comment on our disagreement, beginning a casual conversation with me as if he wished to pretend that what had occurred between us hadn't really happened.<p>

He watched baseball on the flat screen while I read _Wuthering Heights_, as I was at a complete loss for anything to do. All I wanted to do was sleep so that a new day would dawn and I could be with Edward again, but it was way too early to even consider sleeping and nothing in my room held any appeal at the moment, so I just stayed where I was and continued to read.

Weirdly enough, it didn't seem like very long before Charlie muttered about the late hour and ambled up to bed. With a yawn of my own, I abandoned my book and made my way upstairs. I was very careful to watch my step on the now treacherous stairs – I was more tired than I'd originally thought and it wouldn't help to have a concussion tomorrow, or any day for that matter.

With a sigh, I collapsed onto my bed as soon as I'd reached my room and hugged my pillow hoping that sleep would come to me quickly.

I was too tired to even put on my pyjamas or get under the covers.

But before I could even think to close my eyes, I heard an almost inaudible – but definitely genuine – thud outside. I felt my eyes widen in the darkness and suddenly felt wide awake – paranoid even. Suddenly, I couldn't take the suspense anymore and jumped up from my bed, ignoring the slight dizziness that came with such abruptness. Warily, I edged towards the window and disturbing scenarios began playing in my dazed head.

What if the people who trapped Edward had come back to make me pay for freeing him? What if it was a serial killer outside, planning to kill Charlie and I. What if it was a robber? Why didn't Alice warn me? And why was I only worried about the first scenario?

If it was something serious then Edward would be here to protect me.

Right?

Ugh, I hated feeling so dependent on him but there was nothing more I wanted right now, than for Edward to be right here, right now. For him to ease my fears and to keep me company. I knew that I couldn't get any more pathetic than I was right now, but I couldn't deny what I wanted and quite possibly needed.

Staring out of my window and into the dark night did not cease my worries despite the fact that there was nothing to be seen and my imagination was probably whacked up anyway. After around thirty more seconds of examination and with zilch results, I had no choice but to return to bed, grumbling as I went and fear still clenching at my heart.

I found it very hard to sleep that night but eventually succumbed to it after an hour of turning restlessly in my bed.

It shouldn't have surprised me that I had a nightmare.

_Deep in the heart of a sinister forest that didn't appear anything like Fork's protective-like ones and under a single ray of sun that filtered through the trees, I found myself cowering back in fear although I had no idea what for. My face was raised to the blood red sky and I told myself not to be afraid, that I could overcome this terror and that Edward would help me if I was incapable of achieving such a feat. _

_I eagerly searched for Edward, whipping my head back and forth in search for him, but he was nowhere to be found. _

"_Edward," I called out for him shakily, suddenly regaining my fear. _

_Suddenly he was there, stepping through the trees, a knowing smile on his divine face. _

"_Edward, something's coming," I gripped at his shirt, unable to contain my terror. _

"_What do I possibly have to fear?" He laughed. _

"_What do you mean?" I demanded. _

"_I'm the strongest man alive." _

"_Don't be so arrogant. Something's coming." Why wouldn't he just listen to me? _

_Menacing laughter filled the tense air and it was coming from more than one mouth, definitely not from Edward's, whose expression had turned to one of trepidation. _

"_Why can't I see you?" I whispered to them. _

"_You do not know what we look like but you will soon. We are coming for you." _

One of them cackled. "_Mercy isn't one of our strongest traits."  
><em>

"_We just want revenge, and revenge we will have," the third one added threateningly _

"_Edward," I whimpered, but my hands fell to my sides out of their own accord and I could no longer hear Edward's shallow breathing. Startled, I turned to face him but he was nowhere in sight. _

"_He's been dealt with," the first one sneered. "And you'll be next." _

_Then I could feel their shapeless forms begin to advance towards me and I let out a bloodcurdling scream. _

"_Edward!" _

"Bella, Bella. Sweetheart, it's okay." I felt my shoulder being shaken by something and the sensation of being partially held. My eyes snapped open and I was eager to do whatever it took to banish the nightmare from my mind. I was still shaking from the dream, and I knew that the voice had to be a hallucination.

There was no way in the world that Edward was here, in my bedroom, in the middle of the night.

That only happened in my very vivid fantasies.

"Bella," The voice repeated, this time more anxious. Astonished, I turned my head to see if the voice was really coming from where I thought it was, and nearly fell off my bed in my shock.

With his unmistakable bronze locks and topaz eyes, I knew for certain that Edward was the one comforting me. But how the hell did he get in here?

"What are you doing here?" I hissed, embarrassed that he'd seen my sleeping fit.

"I heard you crying in your sleep," he admitted.

"All the way from your house?" I repressed the urge to cross my arms against my chest in irritation.

"Well no, I was here before you had the nightmare."

"One, how did you get in here? Two, why did you come here? And three, when did you come here?"

"Well, I got in here through the window." He paused to glance at the slightly ajar window. "I came here because I couldn't sleep." He seemed to find something amusing about his own statement from the way his lips twitched into a smile, but he became solemn at once after I'd revealed how very annoyed I was by the frown I gave him.

"I'm too used to your presence," he explained with a crooked smile that should be illegal. "And I came here, well around a couple of hours ago."

My eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Didn't you get bored, and how did you know that I was having a nightmare?"

"I could never be bored when it's you who's involved," he said seriously. "You talk in your sleep, which is how I knew you were having a nightmare."

"No… no! Please tell me that you didn't just say that." I groaned, my cheeks turning a crimson red.

"Say what?" he asked, sounding confused.

"I thought that I didn't do that anymore. How embarrassing." I tried to hide my inflamed face by using my hair as a non-transparent barrier but Edward wouldn't have that. He brushed my mahogany locks out of my face with his fingers and I couldn't deny that I kind of liked him doing it.

"Don't cover your face, it's beautiful," he murmured.

As expected, his comment caused me to blush even more deeply than I already was.

"What did I say?" I asked after a few minutes. I might as well find about it, even if being told would only cause more humour on my expense as well as more chagrin for me.

He smiled. "You said my name." But then his smile faded as he spoke again. "But you looked really scared when you said it, and you also kept muttering about how something was coming. Would you like to talk about it? Whatever it was, it isn't real."

I shuddered. "No thanks. I'd rather not recount such a horrible dream."

"I didn't think that you would, but then again you always surprise me."

"Hmm," I muttered, slightly irritated.

He smirked. "Perhaps you should go back to sleep then. It is three AM."

"I would, but I want to keep talking to you." I frowned, torn by the two appealing options.

"Why don't I lay with you then, until you fall asleep that is?"

"I wish you could stay the whole night, I might have another nightmare and then what would I do," I murmured, not quite meaning for him to hear it.

"If that is what you desire, then that is what you shall get." He grinned. "I don't want to leave you either, even for a few hours or even minutes."

"What about Charlie?" I suddenly recalled his existence.

"He won't catch me; I know just where to hide," he assured me, supremely confident.

"Hmm, I guess that will have to do. I can't push you away in any case." I yawned. With a smile, he leant his head back against the headboard while I snuggled against his accommodating chest and he wrapped his arms around me.

I couldn't think of anything better that I could be doing right now, besides maybe kissing him. But then he did begin kissing me – just not in the places that I desired – lightly on my forehead and then on the crown of my head, a dazzling smile gracing his already stunning face.

"Would you like me to help you sleep?" he offered when nothing else was said.

"Yes," was all I could manage to utter in my tired state of mind.

Like I was a restless child in need of calm, he softly sang an unfamiliar song to me in my ear while stroking my hair gently, his eyes never leaving mine. I couldn't help but close my eyes as the song intended.

_My love, leave yourself behind_

_Beat inside me, leave you blind_

_My love, you have found peace_

_You were searching for release_

Before he'd even reached the chorus of the beautiful unnamed song, I'd succumbed to a deep sleep. I slept soundly, knowing that with an angel by my side, no nightmares would invade my dreams tonight.

He only brought pleasant things with him.

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><p><strong>I was a bit iffy on this chapter so I really need to know what you think. <strong>

**Please :)  
><strong>

**The song used at the end of the chapter is 'My Love' by Sia (most of you will recognise it as the song from the Eclipse movie) **

**As always, if I receive a decent amount of reviews then a new chapter will be uploaded in less than three days. **


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

**Thanks for the reviews! Enjoy the chapter; it's the one that most of you people have been waiting for ;) **

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><p>I awoke to find myself curled up in a weird position, as if I was leaning my head and body against something very cold and hard. But how could that be?<p>

Suddenly, last night's events made themselves known to me and my lips parted in shock. I still had a hard time believing that they were real. The nightmare felt more real to me at this point than what I seemed to remember, although Edward really being in my room was definitely preferable.

Unexpectedly, I heard the sound of quiet breathing from beside me and I suddenly perceived that I wasn't the only living person in the room right now.

My eyes popped open in alarm and came face to face with Edward's unmistakable perfect chin. Okay, so maybe last night's events were real. I rubbed my eyes with my fists and then situated myself so that I was in a comfortable view of Edward's face.

"Good morning," he said brightly.

"Hi," I said groggily, still unable to believe that he was really here.

"I was thinking that we could go for a walk today seeing that it's the weekend." His voice was still cheerful.

"What's the time?" I muttered.

"Nine thirty AM, of course you could sleep in a bit longer if you wish."

"More sleep would probably be a bad thing."

"Charlie's gone fishing if you're interested in his whereabouts."

I nodded mutely.

"Are you up for the walk then?" he asked again.

"Sounds good. I just need to get dressed and stuff," I hinted.

"Right, I'll just wait downstairs then." He smiled crookedly, before pushing himself lightly off me, standing up swiftly and then leaving the room, considerately closing the door as he went.

First thing I did to try and wake myself up – grogginess was not a good feeling – was using the bathroom that was attached to my room and splashing cold water on my face from the tap, effectively causing myself to become alert.

Knowing that I might – okay I would without a doubt and probably many times – kiss Edward today, I brushed my teeth thoroughly so that he would find nothing repulsive about my breath.

Lastly I rummaged through my wardrobe for something nice – well at least to my standards – to wear and came across some suitable denim jeans, a long-sleeved black shirt and a pair of simple flats to don.

My mahogany hair proved impossible to brush with all of its annoying tangles and I eventually gave up, knowing that Edward didn't just love me for my looks.

Well at least I hoped so.

Satisfied with my overall appearance, I hurried downstairs and smiled widely when I found Edward sitting in one of Charlie's wooden chairs. Hmm, another trait of Edward's that I should've realised by now – he was incredibly patient.

I loved him so much because of things like that.

"Ready to go," he asked, arising from his chair and taking my hand gently in his.

"Where are we going for our walk?" I inquired eagerly.

"I'm not sure yet, I was going to leave that up to you. Where would you like to walk?"

"Anywhere, I don't really know any good places to go," I admitted. He of all people should know that I hadn't been out much lately.

He grinned. "Actually, I've thought of a better idea."

"Which is…?" I made an impatient gesture with my hand.

"Have you ever walked on the boardwalk that overlooks the bay at Port Angeles before?"

"No, but I've heard of how nice it is from Angela."

"How about we go there then?" he suggested.

"Sounds nice," I agreed, trying to imagine the place that Angela had tried to describe to me one boring English lesson. Either way, I was up for the idea.

"Lucky I brought my car," he commented as I stared in shock at a silver Volvo which was parked where Charlie usually parked his cruiser in the driveway.

I gasped. "When did you put that there?"

"After Charlie left. I had it parked around the corner when I came last night."

"Uh huh," I murmured, not knowing quite else what to say. "Wait! How do have a licence?"

His voice was smug. "Jasper got one for me."

"Isn't that illegal?" I asked sternly.

"My family doesn't exactly follow the law."

"As the Police Chief's daughter, I really should tell my dad," I teased. "But as your girlfriend, I guess that I'll have to go along with it."

"That you will." He grinned. "I've been waiting to drive it all night."

"If we get pulled over, I had no idea." I shook my head with disbelief.

"We won't," he said confidently.

"Start driving," I ordered him after we'd got into the expensive car and buckled our seat-belts. "I'm nervous already."

…

The boardwalk was a picturesque as Angela described but didn't hold our interest for very long; we were too immersed in the quaint little shops that lined the boardwalk and ourselves to be honest. I wasn't too fond of PDA as it meant unnecessary attention and I tended to get carried away whenever it happened between Edward and I, but Edward was too irresistible for his own good for me to deny his requests.

My favourite stores out of the ones that we visited was a tiny antique store, almost hidden by the other buildings around it, and _Dymocks –_ an expensive but well stocked bookstore.

We spent the most of our time in the book store, and not just because it was one of my favourite places to be. Edward found it fascinating about how much literature had and hadn't changed over the past few decades and he'd spent a few hours of just simply reading the blurbs of books with me.

"Vampire romance, really." He laughed, as we picked up the umpteenth book about a vampire who fell in love with a human.

"It's the new style of books today," I replied, gesturing to the numerous amount of black or crimson spines of books in the young adult section.

"If I were a vampire, would you still love me?" he teased, although for some strange reason it almost felt as if he was being serious.

"Hmm, it would depend on whether you would drink my blood or not." I pretended to ponder.

"Would you," he pressed.

"I wouldn't care if you were a seal, I'd still love you," I told him truthfully. At my words, a blinding smile touched his lips and a strange spark of hope inspired in his eyes. Huh?

"Bella," he said uncertainly.

"Yeah," I replied, running my finger down a spine of yet another dark hued book.

"Uh... never mind."

"What is it?" I turned to him with a frown on my face, perceiving the seriousness of his tone.

"Trust me, it's nothing."

"You can tell me anything."

"Really, it's nothing," he assured me. Despite my suspicion, I let it drop like he wished.

The antique store was the place we decided to visit after the bookstore and it helped Edward to lose whatever was obviously battling inside of him.

It was hilarious to be with Edward in an antique store, as he'd lived in the same era as some of the antiques – although, unfortunately being stuck in the mirror had prevented him from being completely knowledgeable of his whole one hundred and nine years of living.

"Look at that necklace." I pointed to an elegant looking necklace in one of the glass cases, marvelling about how the necklace could make any neck appear attractive.

I had no idea what I liked so much about it, perhaps it was the way the sapphires were situated on the silver chain in such an original fashion, maybe it was the fact that the necklace was inconceivably both simple and elegant, or perhaps it was just the fact that I was drawn to old looking jewellery. I usually wasn't superficial but this was a very beautiful piece of jewellery. I eyed the price interestedly but recoiled in shock when I saw how many figures there were.

"Do you like it?" Edward asked suddenly, perceiving my interest.

"Yeah, but it's way out of my price range," I replied moodily.

"It's an original. We only just got it in because the other store couldn't sell it," the young male cashier commented.

"We'll take it," Edward told the shopkeeper, his tone as nonchalant as if he was purchasing a twenty dollar pair of shoes. What the hell was he thinking? I turned to him furiously.

"Are you crazy? That thing costs more than my truck and maybe even Charlie's house."

"But you want it." He shrugged. "So it should be yours."

How was I supposed to explain to him that I hated receiving gifts?

"When would I have the opportunity to wear it anyway?" I asked, knowing that if I gave good reasons towards not buying it then he might actually listen to me. If I just told him that I didn't like people buying me stuff, he'd buy it anyway.

I'm sure that there will be many opportunities in the future. With Alice it's almost a guarantee,"

"I can't disagree with that, but I really can't let you buy it for me."

"I'll buy it for your birthday then."

"My birthday's not for a while yet, and you know that."

"Please let me buy it for you."

I shook my head. "I can't, it's too expensive."

"Have you seen my car?" he questioned.

"It doesn't matter."

He sighed. "Have it your way then."

"Thanks." The necklace may have been beautiful but I had something way better.

We left the store empty handed like I desired, and sat on a park bench across the road from the store, just talking casually about things like we always did and sharing a few kisses. It wasn't long before it was necessary that I stated that we'd have to leave soon – the sky was darkening and I had to get home before Charlie did.

We were just about to leave the bench to head on home when Edward told me apologetically that he had to go back into the antique store as he'd forgotten something.

"You might as well stay comfortable by sitting here while I go in and get my phone. Hopefully the cashier kept it behind the counter." His forehead creased for a second before it smoothed back out, and he gave me a smile and then a quick peck on the lips. "I'll be right back."

"Hurry back," I said light-heartedly. He gave me another smile before he crossed the road and entered the store again. Bored, I crossed my ankles repeatedly and thought up shapes using clouds in the sky. I was so absorbed by my little game that I didn't even notice a hefty tree giving way behind me, and I couldn't hear it being uprooted because of nearby roadwork. I smiled and waved as Edward walked out of the shop just as the tree was beginning to fall, oblivious to the look of terror on his usually confident face.

"Bella," he yelled. "Move."

When I didn't respond due to my confusion, something seemed to change in Edward's expression. It started out as one of torment, and then it was one of determination. So fast that I imagined that I was suffering a hallucination, so fast that he was a mere blur, he ran over to me and pulled me in his arms before leaping about ten metres from where the tree had now fallen.

Once he'd gently let me out of his arms, I began to shake uncontrollably and not because of what I'd just seen. I had been so close to death, so close. But somehow Edward had saved me.

How the hell did he do that?

I replayed the terrifying scene in my mind to try and understand how such things were possible, and as I did a few things clicked into place.

His impossibly cold skin, which I'd learned to accustom to. Poor circulation was just an excuse.

His pulling back from kisses so soon – no sane human male did that.

His family's supernatural powers.

His rock hard body that I could never push nor pull with any effect.

Why he was banned from La Push.

How he could get from one end of the street to another in less than a second.

Emmett's offhand question about vampires and everyone's frightened reaction.

His random but serious question in the bookshop.

The Cullens' weren't just immortal.

They were also vampires.

Some things didn't fit, like how they could come out into sunlight without burning or how they hadn't drunk from me yet. I knew immediately that the Cullen family had to be different from traditional vampires; perhaps vampires in this world didn't drink blood from humans. Their goodness couldn't be an act. Nobody was that good at such a facade, I was sure of that fact.

The Cullens were still good people.

But they were also vampires!

Despite all that, only one detail threatened to break me, only one detail mattered to me at that moment, only one detail caused me to see Edward differently than I had five minutes ago.

"Edward," I whispered, tears streaming incessantly down my flushed cheeks in betrayal. "Why did you lie to me?"

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><p><strong>Looks like Edward is in big trouble. I bet you're all wondering how he's going to get himself out of this one. Remember, reviews mean an update in less than three days ;) <strong>

**I'm curious people, what is your favourite part or chapter of this story so far?**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

**Okay, I'm really sorry about the slight delay. Anyway, I'll definitely be able to get the next chapter up on time because it's the weekend tomorrow and I'll have plenty of time. Enough excuses, here is the chapter ;) **

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><p>Edward's expression was plagued with deep regret as he took in my tearful state and wounded tone, but even the most potent of grief on his face wouldn't have dissipated my anger.<p>

He had lied!

He would gain none of my sympathy now, not even the slightest amount.

What else had he lied about?

Was his love a lie then too?

Why! Why would he do this to me? Why didn't Alice warn me? Oh wait! She lied to me too, along with the rest of the Cullen family. Why did they lie? Didn't they trust me? Was I not good enough?

Didn't my feelings matter at all?

"I… I'm sorry," he whispered, profound remorse perceivable in his tone. I tried to ignore it; he'd already proved that he was a good actor.

How could I believe him now?

"I just can't believe that you'd do something like that to me. Why Edward? Why?" The tears ceased now in my fury and I glared at him with all of the anger and betrayal that I felt.

"I…" Once again he was lost for words, flinching away from my harsh glower.

"I'm not going to be stupid and immature and run away without an explanation like some people do but only because I don't want to keep wondering for forever why you did this to me. You better have a good explanation though if you want to retain the almost microscopic shred of respect of that I still have for you," I fumed.

"You can't know our secret, it's dangerous. If someone found out…," he trailed off, his tone desperate, gentle, begging for me to understand.

His reasoning was hardly acceptable!

"I'm livid that you couldn't even trust me."

"It's more than just trust. You could be killed with the knowledge that you have."

"Trust is a vital part of a relationship, and I can take care of myself," I said fiercely.

"I couldn't put you in danger, I couldn't," he whispered.

"I was going to find out sooner or later. What was your plan then?" I demanded.

"I don't know! I intended for you to know eventually but I knew that I'd tell you at the right time. It grew harder to keep my true self a secret every day but I really wanted to tell you, and a few times I nearly did."

"When would the right time have been? Next year? The one after that. On our wedding night if we had one. When?"

He flinched again. "I was scared okay; I was scared that you'd reject me. That you would leave me and I'd be alone."

"The ironic thing about what you've just told me is that if you'd just told me the truth ages ago, then we'd have been fine and maybe gotten our happy ending like you wanted. But now that you've lied." I shook my head with absolute disbelief. "I don't think that I'm going to speak to you ever again."

"Bella, please," he begged.

"No, just don't." I twisted my whole body around and tried furiously to wipe the tears out of my eyes so that I could see.

"What can I do?" He grabbed my hand. I didn't turn, just wrenched my own free.

"Leave, that's what you can do."

"But." He looked helplessly around him. "Who's going to take you home?"

I knew that I should have taken my truck!

He could walk home for all I cared, I'd just have to get a taxi or something.

"I'll call...," I hesitated. The first person who came to mind was Alice but she had lied to me too and I didn't want to face any more deception.

"I'm really sorry Bella, please let me drive you home."

"Actions speak louder than words," I said coldly, trying to ignore the look of hurt on his face.

"Fine then," he huffed, turning away. I crossed my arms over my chest and turned away too. There was silence for a few minutes, the both of us too stubborn and I too angry, to cave in, before I heard my name being called loudly from across the street.

"Bella!"

I whipped my head from left to right, searching for the source of the noise, only to see Angela approaching. What superb timing that girl had!

"Hi Angela." I tried with extreme difficulty to force my voice to sound friendly and not layered with the irritation that I was feeling.

"Hey! Who's this?" She gestured to Edward curiously, not yet noticing the tension that was radiating between us.

"Nobody." I snubbed Edward purposefully, there was no point in introducing him now. "I was just about to go home but my means of transportation has been cancelled."

"Do you need a ride?" she offered kindly. "I was just about to leave anyway; I was visiting a family friend."

"Sure, that would be great," I said, relief saturating my tone.

"Do you know Bella?" she asked Edward politely, as to not exclude him.

"Yes," he said stiffly.

"I'll explain in the car," I said meaningfully to Angela who thankfully took my hint and led me to her car with a polite goodbye to Edward.

"Wait!" I heard Edward call out. I turned back to him in irritation and Angela also turned around in shock.

"Look, I want you to know that I'm really sorry. Please, I'll do anything for you to forgive me. I mean that. Please, Bella. We'll talk it out. I'm more sorry than you can imagine. Just please wait and let me explain!"

In answer I turned away from him again and got into Angela's holden.

"Who was that?" she asked with concern when we were all buckled up and far away from Port Angeles. "You seemed kind of mad at him."

Oh, I'd thought that my fury had been obvious...

"My… boyfriend, and I'm more than mad at him," I admitted, unwilling to tell her about why I was mad at the jerk.

She sighed. "What did he do?"

"He lied to me about something really big."

"Did he cheat on you?"

"Nothing like that. He just lied about himself."

"Some guys do that to make you like them. Maybe that was his reason."

"No, well kind of. He thought that I'd hate him if I knew the truth." I couldn't help but want to tell Angela everything that had happened, excluding a few details of course.

Even though I was still furious at Edward, I couldn't help but want to protect him.

She told me that whatever I told her would be just between us, and I did trust her, so I couldn't help but spill out all that I was allowed to.

My tears flowed relentlessly as I explained all that I could to her as she listened patiently; stopping at the side of the road considerately so that she could console me with kind hugs and encouraging words without putting us in peril.

"I still can't believe that he lied." I sobbed, wiping the back of my hand across my nose.

"I'm sure that lots of guys have lied about their romantic history."

"But he was so sincere when he told me."

"Look, from the way that he was looking at you and begging for your forgiveness, he looked like he really cared about you. I think that he knows he made a big mistake," she replied.

"That's the thing. I don't know if he really does. Maybe everything else he said, including his feelings, were a lie."

"Well I can't really say anything considering that I've only just met him, but if any guy lies to you, then you still have the right to be mad at him, no matter what he's done. Just try to work things out with him eventually."

"Thanks Angela," I told her sincerely. "We should hang out more."

She smiled. "Yeah we should."

I sighed. "So what do you think I should do?"

"Do you still care about him?"

"That's what irritates me. I want to say that I hate him and call him every name that I can think of, but I just can't. I'm in way too deep, and all I want to do is just go find him and well, not apologise since I didn't do anything wrong, but just have everything normal between us. Yes, I'm still mad at him and I want him to wallow in remorse for a bit but I also want everything to go back to the way it was, without the lying of course. "

Angela beamed. "Then do that. Just give it a few days before you forgive him."

"That already seems like too long. I kind of want to hit him but also kiss him at the same time. I want normalcy, I guess."

"I know what that's like. Ben and I have had a few rough patches but we've worked it out."

"He'd have to do something pretty impressive for me to forgive him today though," I admitted.

"He seems like the spontaneous type. Maybe he will."

"Actually, he kind of is." I thought back to the expensive necklace in the antique store and frowned.

She patted my shoulder reassuringly. "Everything will be okay."

"Thanks again," I told her.

She grinned. "I know what it's like to need a friend."

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><p><strong>Looks like Edward is going to have to do something pretty big to get Bella to forgive him. Suggestions and guesses are welcome :) <strong>

**Hmm, what can I do to get you guys to review? How about a new chapter in less than three days as well as the joy of knowing that you've made someone's day ;) **


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen**

**Thanks again for the reviews! Enjoy :) **

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><p>Despite the late hour in which I returned home, Charlie didn't seem to have any qualms about my prolonged absence. I fathomed that the look in my eyes was enough punishment in Charlie's own, and although a chastising was probably deserved, he'd decided to lay off me for one night. He obviously didn't want a repeat of the previous night.<p>

It was kind of ironic how different things were now.

I hoped that Edward wouldn't come tonight; it would take all my resolve to send him away again. I needed to maintain control in our relationship and make him realise what the consequences of lying to me were so that he wouldn't even consider doing it again. It was all very thought out and well planned in theory but I knew that all prior logic would be thrown out the window once I saw him again.

I considered locking my window, but I knew that he was capable of picking any lock, no matter how complex, so that was automatically a plan that was aborted.

Disgruntled, I marched determinedly up to bed and buried my head despondently into my accommodating pillow. I couldn't stop thinking of him no matter how hard I tried to divert my attention. I even tried to count sheep in my head, but that got me wondering about whether Edward would find a sheep's blood appetizing since it was technically still blood. I cringed in frustration and irritation.

Ugh, this was ridiculous!

Why was I letting him have such a strong hold over me? Why did my whole body ache for him while my mind desired to push him away? I was torn between two alternatives, and one was growing startlingly weak. Why couldn't I just hate him? Why couldn't I just never want to see him again?

Why did I have to love him of all people?

I didn't want to love a liar, or even a vampire, but fate didn't exactly let you choose.

Then again, I couldn't really care less about the vampire bit; I meant what I said in the bookstore. It was just the liar bit which irritated me to no end.

"Why. Why. Why!" I moaned into my pillow, portraying my frustration aloud even though no one was there to witness it. Suddenly, I had an out of the blue, terrible desire for Edward to go back to the mirror and stay in there. As soon as I thought it, I was horrified for thinking such a thing. He may have lied but that didn't mean that he deserved a death sentence!

I decided to be mature about this, and followed Renee's wise advice. She had told me that the best way to sort out relationship issues is to see it from the other person's perspective. According to her, it had worked out for her a number of times and she encouraged me to try it out. I'd never had to use it before now but now seemed like a good opportunity since I was at a lack for anything else to do, evidently unable to push him from my mind.

Okay, so my name was Edward. I was a vampire. I had to repress the urge to giggle at how stupid that sounded. Anyway, I have just gotten out of a mirror with the help of the girl I love and I have stubbornly refused to tell my girlfriend what I really am. Apparently I was too scared of my girlfriend's reaction to tell her what I am even though she already told me that it didn't matter.

Hmm, I guess if I really _was_ a vampire and if Edward really _was_ a human then I _would've_ been scared of telling him in case I lost him because of it. I guess that was a viable excuse – kind of – but not good enough. I _did_ tell him that I didn't care about what secrets he was hiding and he should've trusted me.

Then there was that thing about how someone supposedly wanted to kill because of the information I had. Who was going to kill me?

Jasper?

Ha! Hardly. Then again, I didn't really know the whole story on that. Perhaps there were other vampires out there who didn't want humans to know about their kind. Once again, I admitted that such a thing was a feasible excuse but still not good enough.

He was just being an overprotective ass in that case!

I could look after myself.

Maybe I was judging him too harshly. All he wanted was to be accepted by me without any prejudice or fear. That wasn't so bad, and he wanted to protect me. Shouldn't I be pleased about that?

But he lied! I couldn't overlook that!

Sleep didn't find me until I'd over-analysed everything I could about my predicament ten times over, and by then it was well into the AM, meaning that when I awoke I'd be tired and grumpy.

Perfect.

When I woke up the next morning, I couldn't help but search the room with my eyes for evidence of Edward having visited my room at some point during the night, and shoved away the disappointment that coursed through me once I'd concluded my search and found none. I should've been glad; I was supposed to be irritated at him.

Remember?

I seriously needed to stand my ground for once and not act like the pathetic teenage girl that I was. It was almost like nothing had happened between us and I wanted to bang my head against the wall for admitting to missing him, for admitting to wanting him.

I was supposed to be mad at him!

Wasn't I?

Ugh!

I was completely and utterly obsessed with him, it seemed. I couldn't even stay mad at him for one night. Stupid vampire-mating connection thing! It had to be that, nothing else made sense. I was pretty sure that everyone else who was in every way oblivious to the supernatural world would have had a more appropriate reaction than I had, had to his lies. Either that, or I was just plain mental.

Either way, it wasn't good. I decided to ignore my conflicting resolve as I got up, but all thoughts of doing so went straight out the window when I perceived a folded sheet of white paper which was laid carefully upon the floor.

I definitely didn't put it there!

I knew that he'd come! I was right to trust my instincts. Somehow, I knew that he wouldn't be able to stay away. My suspicions were proved correct once I'd unfolded the creased paper and read the formal-looking script. He wasn't serious was he?

_To my beloved Bella, _

_I know you won't speak to me and I wholly understand, but I had an inkling that you'd listen to me more effectively if I wrote all of my apologies and explanations in a letter. First off, I am truly sorry, much more than you can possibly envision. There are no other words that can appropriately express my deep regret but those. Any others would overdo it, and I find that simple is sometimes best. If, after you read this letter you still wish for me to stay away, then I will abide by your wishes with no complaint nor question. I beg of you to hear me out first and leave your final verdict until the conclusion of this letter._

_I know that what I did was wrong and I regret it more deeply than you can dare imagine, but I did have my reasons. These reasons seem weak now, even to me, and I deserve any sharp words or battering that you wish to send at me. I take responsibility for the blame entirely, and I just wanted for you to know that. I just didn't want for you to hate me, to cringe at the mere sight of me. I know that what I have just written is hardly a viable excuse but you deserve to know. _

_However, I can promise you that if I ever make the mistake of lying to you again that I will willingly tear off one of my own appendages and hold it over a fire. It may sound overly dramatic, but it's true. You have my word on this, and I hope with all of my being that you will learn to trust me again. _

_I beg for your forgiveness even if I don't deserve it and even if you do cast me away, I want you to know that I'll always wait for you. There will be no other; I will wait forever until you forgive me. Whether it's in ten minutes or ten years, I promise you that I will wait. All I ask is for you not to hate me. I don't think that I could stand that, although I completely understand if you cannot forgive me. _

_Yours eternally, Edward. _

A lone tear slid down my warm cheek and stained the beautifully written note. I could never hate him no matter what he did!

How could he even think that?

Damn, he just had to make things more difficult, didn't he? With my earlier thoughts and now this letter, I didn't have it in me to be mad at him. He certainly knew how to mess with my emotions and make me miss him even more than I had. Why did I have to be mad at him? What did I gain?

I guessed that it was the fact that I didn't want to feel the pain of being lied to again or have my trust crumbled again, but he'd made it pretty clear that he was sorry and even I couldn't doubt the sincerity of his letter. It was so well written and romantic that I quickly searched it up on_ google_ just in case he'd copied it from somewhere.

There were no results.

Damn him for being so romantic, damn him for being so sincere, damn him for making me want to forgive him. What else did I have to gain from being mad at him? Perhaps the satisfaction of knowing that I had a strong hold over someone but that was just petty.

I needed to grow up.

I flipped the letter over and was surprised to see more of his elaborate handwriting. Curious, I read the short paragraph.

_If you've decided to forgive me, then please meet me at this special place that I know so that we can talk things out more. It's in the forest and you'll be able to find it easily if you follow these directions. I hope with all that I have that you'll meet me there. If not, I'll stay out of your way. I know that the latter is more likely. _

That was it! I couldn't take it anymore!

I had to go see him.

Frantic with anxiety, I quickly got dressed and brushed my teeth with a speed that should've rewarded me with a world record and was out the door.

I knew that I was making the right choice.

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><p><strong>I hope that I explained Bella's feelings in this chapter in a way that didn't seem too unrealistic or dumb. I think I did okay, but you guys might think otherwise. It'd be helpful to know what you think so please review :) <strong>

**If you review then I can guarantee that you'll receive a chapter in less than three days, and I won't delay the big reveal of the 'enemy.' **

**See you next chapter ;) **


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen**

**Thanks so much for the reviews guys! I love you all so much ;) **

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><p>I didn't feel the least bit of fear as I made my way through the dense forest, but that was probably due to the fact that someone – probably Edward – had hung twinkle lights from tree to tree so that I wouldn't get lost. I couldn't deny that I did feel a sudden flicker of fright when the trail ended, but the amount of adrenaline coursing through me and the beacons of light leading me to my destination kept me moving. The forest was actually a pleasant place to be at this time of day, it seemed. No wild animals hindered my path – only logs which I lightly stepped over – and sunlight filtered through the trees – quite a miracle actually – causing the forest to lose it's original horror.<p>

It wasn't long before the twinkle lights suspiciously began to disappear, and I found myself standing before a slight break in the trees, the gateway to a serene clearing.

This must be where Edward wanted us to meet.

Curious as to why this place was so special, I paused for a moment, my fingers brushing against the bark of the trees, before carefully stepping through the narrow space between the two trees, prepared for anything.

I knew the answer immediately.

Hidden there – acting almost like a shrine protected carefully by the trees – was a perfectly round meadow situated in the heart of the forest, almost concealed from view. The meadow was adorned with wildflowers, ranging from hues of dark purple to vibrant yellow, and it almost seemed as if I were stepping into a fantasy world, a world that was foreign to everyone else but me. The warmth was invigorating and I found myself lifting up my chin as to absorb as much of it as possible. After my eyes had adjusted to the meadow's magnificence, I began searching for the man who was just as stunning as the meadow itself. Edward stood at the edge of the meadow, waiting in the shade that the canopy of trees fixed at the edge of the meadow provided.

So he didn't burn to death, I guessed.

When he perceived my arrival, his perfect face lit up and a colossal grin stretched across his face. He looked like he wanted to run over to me and quite possibly kiss me, but he stayed where he was and gestured for me to come towards him with the causal wave of his hand. I willingly complied, taking in the splendour of our surroundings – and of him – as I stumbled forward.

"I read your letter. I had no idea you were so sincere," I said softly as I reached him. He took my hand tentatively in his and I didn't reject the gesture. I was here to forgive him and my resolve was weak in any case – in what insane world would I shy away from any sort of contact with him anyway?

"Every word I wrote was true," he replied just as softly. The volume of our voices fit the peaceful setting and it was nice to hear our own voices without louder ones overtaking them. It was easier to focus, to be myself, to know that what I was doing was right.

"I know." I smiled, squeezing his hand in a sign of forgiveness.

"Aren't you very angry with me?" he asked dubiously, but also hopefully.

"I was, until I read your letter. I think I understand now why you had to lie. I just want you to promise me that you'll never hide anything from me ever again no matter how bad, big or small it is."

"Of course, that was what I was planning to promise to you here. Nobody's ever been here but me, and now you. I thought that it would be the perfect place for me to tell you everything."

"It does seem like the perfect place," I agreed. The air of tranquillity here was very refreshing and I knew that we'd have no distractions. In fact, I couldn't think of anywhere better to sort things out.

"I have so many things to tell you but I don't know where to start," he admitted with a frown.

"Why don't you start by telling me about what it means to be a vampire," I encouraged as we both sat down among the wildflowers, our hands still linked.

"What do you already know?" he asked.

"Well, you burn in the sun which is why we're not sitting in the sun right now, you…" I was cut off by Edward's quiet laugh.

"We don't burn in the sun!"

"But!" I looked perplexedly around us. "You're a vampire! Vampires burn in the sun."

He grinned, flashing his ultra-white teeth. "Vampires also supposedly have fangs."

"What about garlic, coffins, crosses, and all the other stereotypical stuff?" I spluttered in shock.

"Myth, myth and myth," He ticked them off with his fingers. "One, garlic may be repulsive to me but it won't affect me that dramatically. Two, coffins are pointless because I don't sleep. Three, Carlisle is religious and we have a cross in our house, and four, what stereotypical stuff are you referring to?"

All I could do was gape at him in shock.

"Okay, what _can_ you do then? Which differs you from humans aside from being impossibly fast, I mean."

He smiled. "Well, I'm stronger than the strongest person alive."

"Well that explains why I couldn't get you to move when I wanted you to," I muttered. It also explained my strange dream.

My subconscious must have known what he was all along.

"Of course." He grinned. "I couldn't even tell that you were pulling me."

"Uh huh."

"There is a reason why we can't go out into the sunlight," he admitted after a minute, abruptly standing up and pulling me up with him.

I winced. "Will you get hurt?"

"Quite the opposite actually. Don't worry," he assured me wryly.

"I don't understand."

"You will in a second, let me show you."

My fear for him at that moment was more potent than I'd ever experienced before, and it was pure agony to let him stride out into the sunlight so confidently, so unafraid. I trailed behind anxiously, my hand still grasped tightly in his, not knowing what was going to happen.

To say that I was shocked was the biggest understatement ever made.

Instead of crying out in pain like I'd expected, Edward's face portrayed his composure, and his skin became astonishingly aglow. He was quite literally sparkling. A brilliant smile stretched across his face as I stared in wonder at the mysterious effect that the sun made on his skin, and a smile of my own surfaced. If I thought he was handsome before, I may as well have been blind.

In the heat of the sun he seemed like a whole new person. He seemed like a person without secrets, a person with everything that he had, laid out in front of them, and most definitely still a_ person_. Maybe not a human, but definitely still a person. None of it made me love him any less though. In fact, it made my love for him increase because I knew that with this revelation, there would be no more secrets. This was the biggest one that he had and he had shared it with me willingly, gladly.

"What do you think?" he asked seriously, his voice reflecting none of the joy that I'd perceived before, and I was shocked to see revulsion buried in his eyes as he stared at his pale arms.

"It's… it's amazing," I said breathlessly.

His eyes widened. "How can this be amazing? It's evidence that I'm different from you, that we'll never be equal. It's evidence that I'm a monster."

"We are more equal than you think," I protested. "Aside from our diets and your special abilities, what is inside is the same."

"Did I tell you that I can read minds?" he asked bitterly. My dumbfounded expression gave him his answer. "Well yes, I can. I can't read yours though for some unknown reason and at first I thought that it was just the mirror that was blocking me, but that obviously wasn't it. It's still one of the hundreds of things that make me different from an ordinary boyfriend."

"Don't torture yourself," I pleaded. "I don't care what you've done, or what you are. I only care _who _you are."

"I wish more than anything that I could be normal for you. None of what happened yesterday would have happened if I was."

"Look, if you were a normal human boy then I would've been crushed to death by that tree. I would be dead right now."

He flinched.

"But," I continued. "Because you are what you are, I survived. I never got to thank you for that. I was too mad to even realise that you did save my life, so thank you."

"I'll always save you," he promised.

"See, you're able to protect me _because_ of your abilities. You choose to use them for good, you choose rightly. That is why you aren't a monster."

"I never thought of it that way," he whispered. "But that still doesn't change the fact that I don't have a soul."

"Of course you do," I argued, annoyed that he would even consider such a thing.

"Let's not have this argument now," he said gently. "There are still other things that you need to know."

"Okay," I agreed easily. I didn't want for us to fight anymore.

"You seem to have realised that my family and I don't drink human blood. How did you find that out by the way?"

"I just knew," I admitted. "There was no way a family as pure as yours could even contemplate drinking blood from a human."

"I see that you've gotten to know them very well while I was in the mirror." He smiled, sounding pleased with the idea that I liked his family.

"What do you drink then? It's from the blood bank right?"

He laughed. "No. We drink animal blood."

"Have you always stuck to that diet?"

"No, there was a time a few decades ago when I rebelled against Carlisle and his ways. I am very ashamed of what I did now, and I try to make up for it the best I can," he confessed, regret embedded deeply into his tone.

"Like I said, I don't care about your past."

"I'll try to keep that in mind, but I can't comprehend how you can be so forgiving, so understanding."

"Love changes people's view of things," I said softly.

There was a short period of silence when we sat down again, although this time we sat in the sun. I couldn't stop my eyes from roaming greedily over his glowing skin and I couldn't help but stroke his shining arms gently with my fingers. As soon as my fingers came into contact with his skin, he pulled me into his arms as if my simple contact wasn't enough and blessed me with tender kisses on the crown of my head. I rested my head against his muscled chest contentedly and listened to his even breathing.

"You never did tell me who your enemies are. The ones who trapped you, I mean," I said after a minute, curiosity overtaking my desire to continue basking in blissful silence with him.

"Be prepared, it's nothing like you've ever seen or heard of before," he warned, searching my face for something which I couldn't decode.

"I can handle it," I said confidently. If I'd found out my boyfriend was a vampire who drank blood – animal or otherwise – and didn't freak out about it then I could handle anything, I was sure.

"Vampires aren't the only supernatural creatures out there."

"I figured."

If he was surprised, he didn't show it.

"There are werewolves. They are one of our biggest enemies and have been since a little bit before I got trapped in the mirror. However, they are not the enemies which I'm referring to. I'll explain about the wolves later. I better answer your question first." He took a deep breath as if in preparation.

"There are witches too."

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><p><strong>Another cliff-hanger. I guess you'll just have to review if you want the next chapter up in the next three days. I think I did a good job, did I? <strong>

**:) **


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen**

**Sadly my review number is decreasing but I decided to put up the next chapter anyway because the last was a cliff-hanger and I did get a few reviews. Next time I might not be so lenient *narrows eyes* But I do want to thank the people who did. You guys are awesome, so thanks! Enjoy :) **

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><p>"Witches, are you serious?"<p>

Incredulous was not strong enough a word to describe how I was feeling. How much stranger did this world get? Why was nothing sane or normal anymore? How could all of these different creatures roam the earth undetected and without anyone's knowledge of them? I'd obviously been very ignorant lately to not see it. If vampires existed then so must other mystical beings.

It was so obvious that I felt like laughing.

As a child, I used to believe that the events that occurred in fantasy books actually had happened in real life and that the characters just told the authors their stories, that fantasy books were actually biographies. Perhaps I wasn't as stupid as I'd thought as I child, and authors _did_ come across these creatures and attempted to tell the world about them without sounding insane through the use of novels. Then again, if they did, they'd probably be dead before they had a chance to write a single word.

Witches though, really? Witches!

My mouth unattractively refused to close as I stared at Edward in absolute shock for answers.

"I'm perfectly serious," he replied.

"So does that mean that _Hogwarts_ is real?" I asked stupidly without thinking about what I was saying.

"_Hogwarts_? What on earth is that?" he asked, looking genuinely confused. Oh, right! He was stuck in the mirror when the _Harry Potter_ books were released. He would have no idea what the hell I was going on about. Whoops.

I might as well have been spoken in pig latin to him for the response that I got.

"Never mind, it's just some fantasy book," I said, trying to make my voice sound offhand as to hide my embarrassment.

"Bella, no fantasy book has the facts right. Let me guess, the witches in that book are happy, nice, pretty things that cast rainbows and fly on broomsticks."

"Kind of," I admitted, my pale cheeks reddening.

I was obviously way off the mark.

"These witches who are hunting us are the complete opposite of what Hollywood portrays them to be. First off, the number of bad witches dominates the good. Like us, they have a choice but that choice is tainted by power and desire. Most are too consumed with the power that they have to see any other choice and they misuse it."

"I remember you mentioning something about them hating vampires. Why is that? Isn't your kind of similar to theirs in their view?" I asked, unable to quite remember what he'd told me that day.

"Yes, they are very like us with their lack of restrictions and their unending supply of power, but we have one thing that they do not."

"Immortality," I suddenly recalled.

"Precisely." He smiled in approval. "No matter what they do, they can't live forever. However with the aid of us, they can live for much longer than the average human."

"How much longer?"

"It depends on the supply of vampires." His brow furrowed as he himself considered that.

"What do you mean?" I asked bewilderedly.

"If a witch kills a vampire, or comes across a dead vampire that has not been set on fire yet and has only just been torn apart, then it's a dream come true for them."

I nodded for him to continue when he paused for a minute – I guessed that he was making sure that I was taking all of this in without having a negative reaction.

"It's a dream come true because if they drink the venom of a dead vampire, then another ten years is added to their lifespan. A vampire can only die if they are ripped apart, burned to pieces and then set on fire."

"Is that why they're after your family?" I asked, totally horrified by what I was hearing.

"Yes. The good thing is that they haven't figured out how to kill us yet. That's why they put me in the mirror. They needed somewhere to store me, somewhere where I couldn't escape, while they figured out a way to kill me. Only certain spells work on vampires, and luckily none of those spells are life-threatening. The mirror spell was the only one which seemed plausible to them. However all spells can be broken and an inscription formed on the back of the mirror."

"The fact that something could break the spell that they'd cast, enraged them but when they figured out what the way to break it was, they grew appeased, as they believed that such a thing was impossible for anyone to achieve. They realised through their intuition that a mysterious brown-eyed beauty would have to say the words I love you to me and mean it in order for me to be free. Blinded by their hatred, they didn't think that such a thing was possible and taunted me with their knowledge. They laughed as they mocked me, telling me that there was no hope, that nobody could ever love a monster like me."

"Oh Edward." I gasped, my eyes prickling with tears, overcome with emotion at the idea of what he had suffered for all of those years.

"It all worked out in the end, and that's all that matters."

He hugged me even more tightly to his chest as if he was afraid that I was going to disappear and I embraced him just as tightly for the same reason, kissing his jaw affectionately.

"They put another spell on me so that I couldn't tell anyone how to free me," he continued. "They planned to trap the rest of my family too, but luckily my family narrowly escaped with the mirror before the witches could. I've told you this before but it must be different to hear it when you know the whole story."

"Yes, it is," I agreed. "How did they become witches? Do these witches have names?"

"Witches are born from either one witch parent or two. Witches with only one witch parent aren't as powerful as one with two. As I said before, few witches have good intentions so not many have even the inclination to have a child. There are no male witches, males born of two witch parents have only very good immune systems and live longer than the average human but can also produce witch children."

"And the witches names?" I repeated.

"The ones who trapped me did mention their names among each other but I never called them by those names, they didn't deserve even the lowest form of respect. One was named Ava, another Aphrodite and the third Scarlett."

For some reason their names surprised me. I expected their names to be more... sinister, more indicative of their nature.

"They all looked similar so I'm guessing that they are siblings. Like vampires, witches are naturally beautiful but only when they die or are weakened is their true self revealed."

"How do you kill them?" I asked eagerly, wanting to shoot them dead right at this second for causing Edward so much grief.

"It's not as easy as you think. Witches can only die if their heart is physically crushed to nothing. It's not a very nice business and vampires can't do the act. If a vampire crushes a witch's heart, then they turn to dust along with the heart that they destroyed. To get even close enough to crush a witches heart, the witch has to be weakened or else they'll use their powers to destroy you before you are within even one metre of them."

"Well, how do you weaken a witch then?" I questioned, listening very intently.

"They have to consume a poison of some kind. It won't kill them; only drain away their powers for ten minutes. Of course, this is general knowledge to all of them and they only drink from their own flasks which they carry everywhere with them. We vampires can't take them off guard because they always have an invisible shield up which can only be broken if they are weakened."

"They sound impossible to kill," I murmured.

He frowned. "That's why we are hiding. Until we find a way to destroy them, we'll always have to be somewhere that they won't expect. We were careless last time and look where that got us. We don't intend to make the same mistake again."

"What happened?"

"A picture of us was put up onto the website of the school that we went to and the witches tracked us that way. We were easily recognisable to them even through a photograph. We always slip away unnoticeably when somebody whips out a camera now, even if it's only a camera phone."

"I'll try to protect you from the doom of cameras then." I tried to make a joke out of it, to lift us into higher spirits. He cracked a smile in response.

"And I'll protect you from the doom of falling trees."

I grinned. "Touché."

And then he sighed, his mind obviously turning back to the place that I could never protect him from no matter how hard I tried.

The past.

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><p><strong>There was a lot of information to take in inside this chapter so I thought I'd make it short. I hope you like my portrayal of witches although I'm really afraid that you'll hate them. I tried to be as un-cliché as possible so I've got my fingers crossed that you'll think my villains are okay. <strong>

**Reviews = a chapter in less than three days. **


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty**

**You guys made me so happy with your reviews! I don't think you can imagine how awesome it feels to receive a review, unless you're an author of course. Really, I love you guys! Before the start of the chapter, there are two people in particular whom I need to say something to. **

**To Avid Reader, I wish you had an account so I could PM you this message but I just wanted to tell you that your review made me feel really good about myself and my writing, and made my day pleasant in every way possible. Thank you so much for your kind words. It is people like you who keep me writing even when it gets tough. **

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**Now on with the story! **

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><p>I woke up the next morning with a tired groan, which was then replaced with a smile as I realised whose arms I was in. Edward's apology had meant that he could continue his nightly visits to my room, this time with permission. Having him hold me during the night not only benefited my body – I couldn't seem to sleep without him – but also fulfilled my constant need for him. I almost didn't mind that I had been shaken awake by him because unlike other girls I preferred Edward to sleep.<p>

There was just no contest.

Then again, I still was a teenager and I muttered groggily about why he didn't let me sleep in out of habit. Something was teetering at the edge of my mind, something I needed to do...

Suddenly, I jerked myself awake and sat up in panic. How the hell could I have forgotten?

"School! I didn't go yesterday either; Charlie's going to kill me," I moaned.

"Bella, yesterday was a public holiday. Are you serious that you didn't realise until now?" he asked, his perfect lips curling up in amusement.

"A lot happened yesterday," I said defensively.

He grinned. "I can't disagree with that."

As well as spending the majority of the day with him at the meadow, I had also visited his family. They all apologised profusely for lying to me and I forgave them without a thought. Even though I'd given Edward a hard time for it, I didn't want to be mad at anyone anymore, it was too much effort and I liked them all too much to hold a prolonged grudge.

I sighed. "So, what are you going to do while I'm at school?"

The day would be so dull without his presence; I was dreading not only today's school day but every consecutive one.

"I'm going to enrol too," he said brightly.

"What!" I hissed. "What's your cover story going to be?"

"Easy, I'm Carlisle's nephew and I've been sent to stay with him because I got expelled from my last school and my parents don't want to deal with me anymore."

"That will never work." I shook my head in disbelief. "One, you look nothing like Carlisle. Two, I can't even imagine you doing anything that could get yourself expelled, and three, who's going to buy that story?"

"He's supposed to be my uncle. He doesn't have to look like me," he replied with a grin. "As for the expelled part, how do they know what I have and haven't done? Let's just say that someone insulted my face and I rearranged their own with my fist."

"Edward." I laughed, shocked by his words. He'd always regarded hurting someone as being either rude or simply wrong. The era that he was born in had shaped him in that way.

He shrugged. "It's the only thing that will work."

"Did Alice see that?" I wondered.

"Yeah."

"Well we better go then." I smiled, and then reached over to kiss him. "We don't want the teachers to hate you already."

He grinned. "Your opinion is the only one that matters in any case."

…

I tried to prepare myself as much as possible as Edward drove us into the Forks High parking lot, knowing that there would be a lot of gossip centred around Edward and I today. A new, good-looking Cullen student guaranteed gossip even without the shock of our relationship to fuel it. Edward was originally planning to use his human last name – Masen – but I'd insisted that he use his family's surname as I would probably screw up the cover story if I forgot. In addition to that, we had also concocted another cover story.

One about how we'd met.

The both of us had agreed that we didn't want people to assume that he was single – Edward was far too attractive for his own good and there was no doubt that he'd have many admirers. Apparently in every place that he'd been, the girls – and occasionally even the guys – had fawned over Edward, making it their goal to make him theirs.

There was no way in hell that I was going to let that happen here!

So we were planning to let it 'slip out' rather loudly to other people that we'd met while I was living in Arizona and that the school that he'd been expelled from was also in Arizona. Edward donned what I considered to be his 'badass' clothes as to support the bad-boy expelled theory, and I had to admit that he looked very sexy in his expensive shades, ripped jeans and black leather jacket. It was very different from the polished attire that he usually wore and I found myself staring at him more often than not as he drove.

Then again I caught him staring at me just as often as I did him, and I was only wearing the casual stuff that I usually did; there was nothing appealing about my appearance at all.

Suddenly, the engine cut off and I realised that Edward had finally found an appropriate parking spot. My breathing sped up noticeably as my anxiety increased.

"It's going to be fine. I should be more worried than you. I'm the new kid, remember?" he joked, trying to lighten my mood.

I sighed. "Let's just go."

He took my hand in his as he chivalrously opened the car door for me with his other hand, giving me the support I needed to exit the car. I blushed deeply at the look everyone was giving us and squeezed Edward's hand more tightly for reassurance. Everyone who was in the parking lot two minutes ago had only been staring because of the expensive car that had driven into the lot – only the Cullens were rich enough to afford a car of such expense – but now those who had decided to stay had their mouths literally wide open at seeing its occupants. Then again, they didn't really have eyes for me, only for Edward. Whispers filled the parking lot.

Obviously reading the curious thoughts of our classmates, he dropped my hand and wrapped his arm around my waist instead as to ward others away.

"We're late," he murmured.

I shrugged. "Oh well."

"Why don't you go to your homeroom while I go collect my timetable." He winked, kissing me quickly.

"I'll see you soon," I said glumly.

He winked again before he left.

…

In my homeroom, I was bombarded with questions by everyone, even from people I'd never talked to before. All I wanted to do was blend into the pale yellow walls around me like a chameleon and not exist, but my peers made that impossible.

"We saw you hanging out with that new dude." _No duh._

"Is he single?" _Do you think he's single? Are you blind? _

"Can you introduce me to him?" _Hell no!_

"What's his name?" _Find out yourself. _

"Why do you get to have him?" _Because I'm not a slutty barbie like you. _

"I heard he got expelled from his old school. Is that true?" _Well at least one of the cover stories is working. _

"Do you think he'll go out with me?" _LEAVE ME ALONE!_

I almost screamed the words out loud, so overwhelmed by everyone's rude questioning. Instead, not wanting to seem crazy, I said something more polite which sent out the same message.

"Can you all please give me some space?"

"How rude," a girl with curly, auburn hair muttered, the one who wanted to know if he was single.

"I reckon," another agreed.

Fortunately, our homeroom teacher stormed in demanding quiet and they could no longer interrogate me, having being forced to return to their seats. Due to the disturbance of my morning, I was quite annoyed as I trudged off to biology, first period. When I reached my empty desk, I slumped down into my chair and laid my head upon it, wanting to ward off any more irritating people by feigning sickness.

"Bella, what's wrong," I heard a familiar, melodious voice ask. I lifted my head, stunned. Edward was standing next to where I sat, his face pinched up with concern.

"Oh nothing. I'm just sick of the people here." I gestured to the teenagers chatting animatedly around us.

"I know what you mean. People ask such dumb questions." He chuckled, taking a seat beside me. I took his hand from under the desk and squeezed it. In response he raised our hands so they rested on top of the desk, obviously for wanting everyone to witness our linked hands.

No one dared to approach us; Edward was too intimating and glared at anyone who came close.

Mr. Banner arrived about five minutes late and eyed Edward with disapproval, not knowing what to think of him. With a sigh, he told Edward to make a quick introduction; he'd obviously heard from the other staff about the impression that Edward was making on others and didn't want any time wasted in his class from people getting up and talking to him.

Edward squeezed my hand lightly before releasing it and then strode to the front confidently, intent on keeping his image for the cover's sake.

"Hi people, I'm Edward Cullen. I'm here because I got expelled from my stupid old school and my parents were sick of dealing with me, but that dude deserved having his face rearranged. It actually looks better than it did before." He smirked sexily, earning a few snickers from immature classmates.

Wow, Alice must have given him the teenage lingo yesterday, seeing that he would need it. It was all an act of course; he would never talk like that unless his life depended on it.

"That was almost physically painful," he muttered as he sat back down beside me. "I felt like such an moron."

"Just because you're new, doesn't mean that I'll tolerate talking," Mr. Banner grumbled before starting the lesson. Neither Edward, nor I paid any attention. We were too busy passing notes. I didn't really care about biology; I only picked it because I was good at it, and Edward had already been to high school more than once so he wasn't missing out on anything. I didn't even want to know how many times he'd been. Once was enough for me.

_What's Mr Banner thinking? _I wrote.

_He already hates me, thinks I'm going to flunk this subject. Too bad that he doesn't know that I could surpass him in any test." _He failed at trying to hide his grin as he wrote back to me. I tried to suppress the giggle that nearly escaped.

_That would be hilarious. His face would be priceless. _

_He'd be afraid to show his face. _

_What if he sees this? We'll be suspended. _

_Mind reader, remember? I can tell when he's about to see the paper. _

_Oh right. We should still have a code though. _

He smiled. _Isn't that a little juvenile? _

_Juvenile or not, it's a good idea._

_I guess so. _

_Okay, so I was thinking. What about TA? _

_TA? _

_Teacher Alert._

_Not bad. I've got one for you. GEUC. _

_I have no idea what that even means. _

He smirked. _That's the point. _

_Well?_

_It means 'got everything under control.' Trust me, I do. _

_So does that make TM, trust me? _

_Pretty much. _

_Well you need to TM me about the fact that we could still get caught. _

"Isabella Swan." My heart pretty much jumped out of my chest when I heard my name being called out loudly by the teacher and I nearly fell out of my chair.

"Yes," I squeaked.

"Principal Greene wants to see you in his office."

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><p><strong>Another cliffy, I wonder if you guys will realise why he wants to see her (your guesses are going to be very interesting). Don't worry, if its action you seek (more specifically stuff to do with the witches) then it's coming very soon and you're in store for something very awesome and original! <strong>

**Remember, reviews= a chapter in less than three days. **


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter Twenty One**

**You guys get better and better. Thank you all so much for the reviews! Oh and the adds, and alerts and every bit of support that you people have given me. **

**Enjoy :) **

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><p><em>'Crap! What did I do?<em>' I thought in panic, frozen in my seat. I was always the good girl, the one who never got into any kind of trouble ever. There had to be some mistake! The principal must be thinking of the wrong person. I hadn't done anything wrong, had I?

Several immature classmates oohed and Edward gave them all glares. I squeezed his hand in appreciation and partly for support.

"Be quiet. I expect better of seniors. Miss Swan, I'm not going to ask you twice," Mr. Banner snapped.

Seeming to have no other choice but the one that I dreaded, I released Edward's hand and raised shakily out of my chair, trying to ignore the many curious stares that were fixed on me as I walked past. I tried to make my stride confident as I took the slip out of Mr. Banner's hand and walked to the principal's office – in order to hide the fact that I was scared stiff. I still had completely no idea what I did to merit such a visit. '_Maybe I got a scholarship or something?'_ I forced myself to think. But no, even I couldn't deny that the reason for my visit wasn't going to be a positive one. Students only saw the principal when they'd done something wrong. But I hadn't done anything wrong. I was sure of it!

Suddenly, appearing much too quickly despite my slow pace, his office loomed in front of me. My legs began shaking uncontrollably as I knocked on the door as softly as I could muster and I tried with difficulty to control the urge to bolt from where I stood.

Mr. Greene's face was surprisingly impassive as he opened the door and instructed for me to sit down. I did so timidly, too scared to sink back into the comfortable chair as I might have done if the situation was not so serious. I waited patiently for him to speak, staring at the floor so that I wouldn't have to look at his face if it became intimidating. He closed the door carefully with his aged hand, obviously wishing for our conversation to remain private. My eyes were still glued to the floor when he sat professionally in his chair and tapped his fingers upon his mahogany desk, trying to gain my attention.

"You know why you are here, correct?" he asked, and I was startled to find that his voice was deeply disappointed instead of on the verge of anger.

"No," I squeaked.

He sighed before he spoke again. "I didn't expect any trouble from you, Miss Swan, but you have obviously proved me wrong. I think you and I both know where, or more specifically who, the sudden change has been garnered from."

"Mr. Greene, I have no idea what I've done wrong," I told him honestly, my unsteady voice portraying my fear.

"You know that truanting is against the school rules," he said, the anger that I'd been expecting finally seeping into his tone.

"I've never skipped school," I said indignantly. What the hell was he talking about?

"Would you like to explain last Friday then?"

My blood ran cold and my mouth parted in horror as I finally understood why I was here. Last Friday I had freed Edward from the mirror. How could I forget that? But I had figured out how to free him during class, during school hours. I had given a flimsy excuse to the teacher – to go to the bathroom – and then bolted for my car so that I could go home and free Edward as soon as I was able, forgetting all consequences that inevitably came along with such a choice. Of course Mr. Berty would have realised that I didn't come back from the 'bathroom', of course, with my luck, someone had seen me get into my car and drive away without a early leavers pass, and of course there would be repercussions for doing such a thing.

Crap!

I was in major trouble. Charlie was going to kill me! Crap, crap, crap!

"Oh."

"Would you like to explain yourself Miss Swan?" Mr. Greene asked, setting his intimating glare on me.

"I have no viable explanation," I admitted, hanging my head in shame. Then again, I had skipped school for a good reason, possibly even a noble reason. But Mr. Greene couldn't know that, and it did no good to lie. The truth would have me sent to a mental institution if I shared it.

"I have a feeling that I know why your attitude has changed so drastically. It's that boy who's just enrolled, Mr. Cullen. He's influencing you to slack off."

"No!" I cried out, horrified.

"It is no secret that you two know each other very well and that he got expelled from the school that you both used to attend, in Phoenix. Until he decided to move here, your grades were spotless and the teachers never even had the inclination to scold you. I was also informed by Mr. Banner, that you got your phone confiscated during class that day too. No PDA is also a rule you seem to have broken this morning. I saw your little display from the window of my office."

Crimson coloured my cheeks as I remembered Edward's sweet kiss.

"I thought so. Now since this is your first time in here, you will only serve a single detention during your lunch period instead of the many detentions that most teachers would think you deserve."

"Okay." His punishment was not as harsh as I had expected. In fact, it was hardly a punishment at all. But I'd never had a detention before, and I'd heard from others that they weren't at all fun, so I wasn't completely relieved.

"Before you go, I want to offer you a piece of advice."

"Okay," I repeated warily.

"Don't fraternise with Edward Cullen. He's a bad influence on you and I believe that you can do so much better. You'll thank me for this in the future." He smirked. "Now go. I hope to never see you in here again unless it's because of something outstanding that you've done."

…

Edward's face was deeply sympathetic as I joined him in his Volvo at the end of the school day. Alice had probably told him what had happened. The detention wasn't too bad, only very boring. The other people who had a detention were very surprised to see that I gotten one, but didn't ask. No talking had been allowed. All I knew was that I never wanted one ever again. They were a complete waste of time.

"I wish that he'd given me the detention instead," Edward told me sincerely for the thousandth time as we exited the school.

"No, it wasn't your fault," I replied.

He sighed. "Technically it was."

"It's over and done with now."

"I guess you're right."

I smiled. "I always am."

There were a few minutes of comfortable silence before anyone spoke again.

"I can't come over today," he said suddenly. "Family meeting."

"Oh," I muttered, trying to mask my disappointment.

"But, I was thinking that we could do something before I went," he said quickly, reading the disappointment that I'd been trying so hard to hide.

My outlook brightened considerably at that.

"There's not much to do in Forks...," I pondered. "But I'm sure there's something we can do."

"Why don't we go ice skating," he suggested. "There's a rink nearby and I have an hour before the meeting is scheduled."

I laughed. "It sounds so formal."

"It is quite serious actually, but they're all blocking me so I have no idea why." He frowned.

"I'm sure it's nothing," I assured him, trying to banish the anxiety that had suddenly risen within me at his words.

"Are you opposed to ice skating?" he asked, changing the subject and raising an eyebrow.

"Someone will probably skate over my fingers when I fall on the ice," I grumbled, remembering Renee's reasoning for not letting me go when I was younger.

"I'll catch you every time," he promised me seriously.

Hmm, then again, falling into his arms wouldn't be such a bad idea after all...

Maybe I could trip on purpose...

"Okay." I smiled mischievously.

"Great, I'll take us there." He smiled, and then took a smooth U-turn on the road.

…

As it was only the second time that I had ice-skated in my whole life – the first had been years ago and ended in disaster – Edward suggested that I stick to the ice rink wall to start off with until I grew more confident. Once on the ice, I made sure that one of my hands was tightly gripped in Edward's, and that the other was curled around the freezing ice wall. I kept a death grip on both as we skated around the rink.

I valued my life too much.

A few times around the ice rink and I was beginning to feel pretty confident.

That was a big mistake.

I assured Edward that I would be fine if we cut through the middle, there weren't that many skaters anyway, and he hesitantly agreed, promising to never let go of my hand. We hadn't even skated a metre from the wall when I tripped over my own feet – the skating boots were completely out of my control – and nearly stumbled to the ground. Thankfully, true to his promise, Edward pulled me upright and into his embrace before I could. I was steady immediately.

I grinned. "Maybe we should go back to the wall."

"Sounds like a good idea," he agreed, but instead of leading me back to the wall like his words had implied – this time with both hands encased in his – he leant down to kiss me.

All thoughts – including the fact that I was standing on slippery ice – ceased to matter to me as his lips met mine. We were both lucky that he was a vampire otherwise I would have pulled him down with me as I stumbled again. Just like before, he effortlessly caught me but this time his head shook with laughter.

"What am I going to do with you?" He smirked at me once his laughter had ceased.

"Shut up," I muttered. "Let's go back to the wall before it happens again."

…

Unfortunately, reality caught up with us all too soon and Edward had to go back to his house for his family meeting. But first, like the gentleman he was, he drove me to my house and walked me to the door.

"That was a lot of fun," I told him, my cheeks still flushed with excitement from the ice rink.

"It was," he said softly before he gave me a lingering goodbye kiss. I wouldn't see him until tonight, and that was a very long time for me, so I tried to make the kiss last as long as possible. But all good things must come to an end and I watched his retreating figure until his silver car had vanished from sight. Grudgingly, I unlocked the door and walked inside.

"Dad," I called out, knowing that he'd be home by now.

Nobody responded.

"Dad," I tried again.

There was still no response.

Worried, I tried the living room, his bedroom, the bathroom, anywhere where he might possibly be, and finally, when I was beginning to get very scared by his absence, found him in the kitchen.

"Dad, what's wrong?" I asked him anxiously, perceiving how sick he looked. His eyes were frighteningly unfocused as if he couldn't see anything at all, his usually friendly face was impassive, and he just stood there, staring at one of the kitchen cabinets. When he registered me standing there, watching him, something seemed to change within him. He took a step forward, and lifted up an object that was in his hands.

What I saw was inconceivable.

It was his rifle.

"What happened, Dad?" I asked him anxiously, wondering why he was showing me his gun. He didn't answer, instead lifting it up as if to shoot me, as if to aim for my heart.

"They told me to kill you, I do not disobey," he said, unflinchingly. I was pretty sure that he wasn't even blinking.

His voice was monotone, dead.

He was not my father anymore, he was someone else.

Something bad had happened, something horrible had changed him.

"What are you talking about? Who told you to kill me? What are you doing?" I cried, unbelievably confused. His words were not setting in; his words were not making any sense.

"The three women told me to kill you. I do not disobey."

And then he pulled the trigger.

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><p><strong>Another cliff-hanger. I'm evil, I know. The witches are about to make their debut it seems, the actions begins now. In case you didn't realise, Charlie has been mind-controlled by the witches. Thank you to kate x wolfe for this idea. Any thoughts (seriously, any at all) on what you think is going to happen next would be pretty awesome. <strong>

**Remember reviews = a chapter in less than three days. **


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

**Once again, thank you so much the reviews! You guys make me feel like I'm a good writer :) **

**This chapter is my favourite so far and I hope that you readers think that it's yours too ;)  
><strong>

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><p>My complete and utter shock at what Charlie had actually attempted to do almost made me incapable of moving a muscle, but my adrenaline was what pushed me to drop to the floor in a death-defying escape.<p>

My adrenaline was what saved my life.

The bullet soared through the air threateningly but met resistance with one of the kitchen cabinets. Despite my frozen form, I somehow managed to dart across the room and in a snap decision, grab one of the silver pots that hung from the hooks on the panelled wall. This would have to serve as my only method of self-defence; I couldn't see anything in sight that could possibly help me besides the pot. I was horrified to see in my peripheral vision that Charlie had turned to face me again, and was pointing his rifle at me, aiming to make another shot. In a risky and positively stupid move, I dashed towards him and used the pot to intersect the moving bullet. The menacing bullet clattered to the floor uselessly and I decided to use the perfect and possibly only opportunity for me that was presented. Using all the strength I could muster, and as quickly as I could manage, I whacked Charlie over the head with the pot, effectively knocking him out and wincing as I did so.

I hadn't wanted it to come to this but he'd given me no choice.

Tears gathered at the corner of my eyes as I'd realised what I'd done. It wasn't his fault that I'd brought such danger to his life and the supernatural had overtaken him- I had no doubts that this was a witches doing- but seeing him sprawled there and helpless on the ground made me believe that maybe I'd made a mistake. That maybe there was another way, that maybe this shouldn't have ended like this. But I'd had to think quickly, and if I didn't then I certainly wouldn't be standing here right now.

Why hadn't Edward come to help me? Why didn't Alice see my distress? Where was my protective vampire when I needed him?

Concerned for what damage I'd caused, I dropped to the ground and began desperately searching for my father's pulse. Thankfully, there was one. The only thing that was left of my violent attack was an awful looking bulge on the back of his head. Despite this, despite the fact that he was alive, the tears flowed freely now down my cheeks and I whispered how sorry I was, how I wished that I'd never put him in danger.

My time alone with my father was cut short when the sound of heels scraping on the linoleum floor reached my ears. I looked up in rage, knowing that I was about to finally meet Edward's torturers, the creatures that made my harsh actions necessary.

They walked in a practiced-like formation, the three of them staring down at me with undisguised contempt. Then again, they did seem a smidge amused for a reason which I couldn't decipher. The middle one, the one with the loud heels, was a lovely as Edward had described. Her midnight black hair cascaded down her back and to her waist, the tips enviously curly. Her lips were full and lipstick would do nothing to enhance them as they were already too perfect. Her lashes were long and dark, and her hazel eyes would have been beautiful, had they not been filled with such abhorrence. She was wearing modern clothes of a style that Alice would most definitely approve- they all did, and her tensed hands were clenched at her sides.

I knew from Edward's descriptions that this woman had to be Ava.

The woman on her right was just as attractive as the middle one but lacked the elegance that I perceived Ava had. Her hair was a rich mahogany and had streaks of frenzied black running through it; I couldn't even tell if it was dyed or natural. Her unblemished skin was of an olive complexion and matched those of her companions. Her eyes had the same hazel hue as Ava's and her stance seemed to be almost copied. She- as well as Ava- appeared to be in her early twenties, nothing like what I expected. She seemed to be the youngest, unsure of herself. I knew this one to be Scarlett.

I switched my gaze to the third one, satisfied with my assessment.

I almost staggered back in shock when my eyes swept over the third one, wondering if my eyes were deceiving me. Innocence radiated out of her so obviously that even an idiot would perceive it. Even the malice in her large blue eyes didn't dissipate it, only confused me. Freckles dotted across her thin nose and partly across her lively pink cheeks, and her teeth, partly shown, were small and very white. Her dark-brown hair was swept over to one side and done up in a braid so intricate that it looked impossible to achieve by mortal hands.

I knew that she had to be Aphrodite.

However Aphrodite's innocence only caused me to become more wary. I was sure that these witches were very skilled at the arts of deception.

As I stared at the trio, I noticed that they seemed unsure of what to say. I saw this as an advantage and used my opportunity wisely- at least I deemed it as so.

"Why are you here? You'll never find them, especially through me." I spat at them, trying to convey my disrespect.

At my words, they all began to laugh, both in disbelief and amusement.

"You think we need your help to find them." Ava hissed. "You are the one who has been stopping us from finding them."

"What!" I whispered, my shock sucking away all my bravery.

"Yes, none of our powers work on you. Your father on the other hand, succumbed to our enchantment, we hoped that he would kill you, but I guess not." Ava pursed her perfect lips in irritation. Aphrodite seemed to decide that it was her turn to explain, and reached over to touch her companion's arm.

"Whenever we tried to track the vampires' in this area'" Aphrodite's eyes flashed with dislike. I was surprised to discover that her voice was as childlike as her appearance. "But we were met with a blank spot. It took us many years to prefect this power and to discover that it didn't work, angered us. We soon discovered that you were the problem."

"How did you find me? How did you know who I was?" I demanded, shaking in fear.

"It was quite easy actually, boringly so. Whenever you weren't around the vampires, the blind spot disappeared so we used that as navigation. We had been searching in Europe, so we were very far away at this point. Whenever you were with one of them, the blind spot arose again and we had to cease searching. We knew the general direction but didn't know the specific area. Unfortunately to us, you seemed to be permanently glued to the vampire's side, so the blind spot was a constant occurrence. That was until three days ago."

I stifled a gasp of horror. Three days ago was Saturday, the day I had fought with Edward and refused to see him. I had put him and his family in danger because of my inability to forgive. It was all my fault that Charlie was unconscious on the floor right now, it was my fault that the Cullens' were now in peril, it was my own damn fault that I was about to lose everything I held dear to me.

And it was all because I was so foolishly stubborn.

"A day was all we needed to find them." Aphrodite continued. "We would have been here sooner but we had some technicalities to deal with."

"In other words, you. Now you'll get what you deserve." Scarlett said gleefully.

"Enough, dear sister," Ava chastened. "Revenge will come swiftly. This child needs to know why she deserves to die. Fraternising with vampires is the death penalty enough."

"All right," Scarlett muttered. My knees began shaking at the prospect of my death, how could this young woman so eagerly discuss the deliverance of it?

"As I was saying, you were quite an annoyance to us, an annoyance that we wouldn't like to repeat. We learned from a rather helpful lady at the local bank that the Cullens' lived out of town. She also happened to mention you, of your infatuation with them. Her daughter Jessica had given her all the details. She seemed quite eager to give me the directions to your house, as she could see that we were very disappointed on not receiving the Cullen house directions. Then again, it might have just been the compulsion." Her laugh was vindictive and chilled my whole body.

"I thought that you could just track them."

"You think that the whole purpose of asking the cunt was so that we could gain the directions to the vampires' lair." Ava asked, disbelief colouring her tone. "Hardly, we wanted to find you."

"But, why?" I whispered.

"Hasn't our whole discussion been explanatory?" Scarlett sneered.

"You've made quite a few inconveniences for us, don't you see." Aphrodite began. "You made it so much more difficult to find the creatures, you are cordial with them, you freed one of them from the mirror which we so carefully trapped one in, and we believe that you deserve to die for that. As well as the fact that the thing, Edward, I believe it's called, is affectionate towards you, and it will be so much easier to trap it again if it's downtrodden about your death."

Fury built up in me again, how dare she refer to Edward as a thing! How dare she talk about him like people would a cockroach. How DARE she?

"Leave him alone, you bitch." I hissed at her, clenching my fists to contain my absolute rage.

"Nothing you can do will stop us. Your vampires won't come to save you, as we've blocked all of their abilities. Your time on earth is now over. May you have a great eternity, rotting in hell, fraternising with vampires will guarantee you a spot, I'm sure of it,"

Without another word, they began to advance in on me, anticipation on their sinister faces. It was just like my nightmare but worse, this was real. I wouldn't wake up if I died, I would be forever gone. I needed to act now if I was to save my life, and to save the Cullens'. After all that they'd done for me, I needed to at least save them, save Edward. I began to pray with all of my might that Edward would escape from these demons. That they would soon die a horrible death, alone and crying for absolution. But thoughts do nothing, only actions do.

The conversation with Edward about the witches from when we were lying in the meadow together, flashed vividly in my head. The only way to kill a witch was to poison it and then crush it's heart. I looked around wildly for something to use but nothing seemed plausible. Suddenly, the solution came to me. It had its flaws but it was the only thing that I could think of that might possibly work. I just hoped that Edward wouldn't think I was betraying him, I hoped that he would see that this was just a ruse.

"Wait!" I cried out desperately. "I know information on how to kill a vampire,"

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	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

**Enjoy, it's a long one! By the way, there will definitely be a HEA for Edward and Bella (this is to the people who asked ;)  
><strong>

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><p>Their advance upon me halted instantly, and they all gawked at me incredulously, but also warily. Ava's thin eyebrows raised in shock, Scarlett's mouth parted slightly, and Aphrodite simply stared.<p>

I didn't blame them.

Too bad that they didn't know what I had planned. My arms folded over my chest as I waited for their response. Finally, Ava spoke, a smirk marring her beautiful face.

"I very much doubt that."

"I know how to kill them. You shouldn't deny a chance as big as this. I swear to you, you are making a huge mistake if you kill me." I told them seriously, trying to sound as confident as I could.

Hesitation flickered across all their faces.

"What if she's telling the truth?" Scarlett whispered. "Imagine what we'll gain."

They all seemed to forget everything else as they deliberated over Scarlett's words, and when Aphrodite spoke, her tone was careful.

"Even if you do know how to kill a vampire, why tell us, what will you gain? You were very quick to defend the vampires before, why betray them now?"

Crap! This would be a hard one to explain. But Edward's life depended on it!

"My life is on the line." I replied coolly. "I'd rather live than anything else. I can find someone better, someone alive."

"Of course there is something additional that I would want." I continued, to make my reasoning seem plausible. "Money, lots of it."

"You selfish human! You don't get to choose the terms on whether we kill you or not!" Scarlett snarled.

I feigned a sigh of disappointment. "Do you want to know how to kill a vampire or not? I guess I can just die, and take the information with me to my grave. If you leave me alive and give me a substantial amount of money, I'll tell you how to kill them."

"Fine then, tell us the secret and we'll swear upon our temporary immortality that we will keep you alive." Ava surrendered, abandoning her hostile expression to get me to co-operate in a clean way.

"How do I know that you're telling the truth?" I pretended to ask warily. I didn't care about my life, if Edward was safe; they could kill me all they wanted.

"A witch's oath is binding." Scarlett admitted, and I could see the veracity shining in her large azure eyes.

"Just back off okay, I want some space." I told them.

They retreated back slowly, their eyes never leaving mine as if they expected me to disappear out of thin air. I was their only clue to a few more years of life, they needed me.

Perfect.

My plan was just beginning.

"Tell us now before we slit your throat." Aphrodite hissed.

"Okay…okay." I held up my hands in a sign of defence, trying to fake nonchalance even though I was feeling anything but. "To kill a vampire, you need to combine holy water with a single hair from the selected vampire and then drink it. Only a human with godly connections and knowledge without compulsion can make the concoction. My uncle is a reverend so I'll be fine for the job. The drinker must simply just breathe on the vampire, and then the vampire's body parts will unattach instantly and the vampire will slowly die."

Wow, with that explanation, I realised that I had a better imagination than I thought. Then again, I was under a lot of stress.

"Do you think that we're stupid?" Scarlett snarled. I flinched unintentionally. "You could put any sort of toxin in there!"

"Please," I pleaded. "It's the only way. It's not my fault that it has to be done this way."

"How can we trust you? We need proof. Your word is not enough!" Aphrodite sneered.

"Yes, we need proof." Ava agreed.

"What proof can I give you?" I said panicky, this was not a part of the plan. I should've expected that I would have to give proof, but no. I was such an idiot; I had to think of something now before it was too late. Saving Edward was my priority.

"Yes, what proof can she give us?" Scarlett pondered.

"Since we have nothing to test the theory…" Ava trailed off.

"It's not a theory, it's the truth." I lied fiercely.

She silenced me with a piercing glare.

"We should test her loyalty to the vampires. She should prove to us that she truly is willing to betray them." Aphrodite murmured.

"I know what we can do to prove her loyalty and to gain what we need." Ava's lips curved up and her eyes flashed with anticipation.

"I'll do anything if it proves that what I'm saying is true." I said rashly. Well I'd do anything if it saved Edward and his family.

"You have to tell the vampire that cares about you so much, that you never want to see it again. That you hate it, that you think it's a monster." Her eyes glinted with satisfaction. NO! How could I do that? How could I say those things to him? I'd be playing with all his insecurities. I would break both his heart and mine.

But it would save him. He would stay alive, he would be safe. Even if it hurt him- hurt me- I still had to try and save him. Now I had to lie to Edward too, the person who I had promised to never hide anything from.

My other half.

But I had to do it, I was going to do it. He would understand, I was doing it for him.

No matter what it cost me.

I tried to forcefully push back the overwhelming feel of despair that overtook me when I realised what I'd just consciously agreed to, I couldn't let them see the sacrifice that I was about to make.

"Of course, I was planning to do that anyway, just in less cruel terms." I babbled.

"Perfect, do it now." Ava smiled, looking amused.

"He won't believe me." I fumbled for an excuse. "I was fine an hour ago."

"Tell him that you had an epiphany." Scarlett snickered. "Which is what you've claimed to have had now, anyway,"

What could I tell him? How could I let him go convincingly? Suddenly I knew what I had to do to convince him, he was going to hate me, but I had to do it for him. "Of course I did. I know what I have to do."

"Then go do it." Aphrodite snapped. "We won't wait long for our answers."

"And don't think of doing anything stupid. We'll be listening very closely to your break up scene." Ava warned.

"I know, I'll break it off quickly."

"Yes, vampires don't have feelings. It should take it well."

I tried to swallow the revulsion that her words caused within me.

"Yes, I'll tell _him _the truth. That I don't care about _him_ anymore." My words were blasphemy but they would save him.

"Good, do it now before I die of old age." Scarlett groaned impatiently, seeming younger than she appeared to be in her hyperbole. However her menacing behaviour from before prevented me from seeing her any different and she would always appear evil to me no matter what she did.

"Hush sister. We shall go now, and the child will prove her loyalty. Then we will get what we want,"

Oh, if only they knew. Soon, they would get exactly what fate owed them.

….

It felt like a betrayal again, leading the witches to the Cullens' house despite the fact that they already knew where it was, and I had to clench my hands into tight fists to stop them from shaking.

I couldn't give the witches any clues.

"We'll wait here." Ava announced, quite a far distance from the house. "You go on alone."

"But remember, we'll be able to hear and see everything." Aphrodite's threatening but child-like laugh chilled me to the bone, and I narrowly avoided recoiling back in terror.

"I know what I have to do." I repeated confidently, for both their sakes and mine.

The walk to the house in which I'd visited possibly more often than my own, felt like the longest that I'd ever endured. It might have been the guilt inside of me, of what I was planning to do to the one that I loved, it might have been the distance that I had to walk in total solitude, it might have been the terror of the witches themselves, or it might just have been a combination of all three.

Finally, the large white house loomed in front of me, for once appearing intimidating as if it were trying to ward off any possible danger. I braced myself for what I was about to do, straightening myself up and relaxing my face as if it would strengthen me.

It didn't.

I walked up the porch steps and was surprised to find that the door was already open. Before I could take another step, Edward was suddenly in front of me. Another second and his arms were around me in a startling embrace.

It was hard to hold back the tears that nearly came to the surface once I realised that this may very well be the last time that he would show affection towards me, that he would love me.

My plan wasn't fool-proof.

In another sign that felt like a betrayal, I raised my hands to his hair and yanked out a lock before letting it fall into my jacket pocket.

In an action that felt both entirely wrong and caused both physical and emotional pain, I pushed him back. Of course with his supernatural strength, my push did nothing, but he saw what I had attempted and released his hold on me immediately.

"What's wrong?" He asked quietly, sensing my mood and reading the coldness of my features. Hurt registered on his own, and I hated myself for putting it there. "None of our powers are working, and I was really worried about you."

The part that I was dreading the most was about to take place. I tried to keep my face indifferent as I said the life-altering words, even though it was killing me to do so.

"You want to know what's wrong? I received a flyer advertising about the youth's future. What's going to happen to me in my future? You'll grow old while I die? What sort of a relationship are we having? I realised while looking at the flyer that my future goals before I met you were to find a well-paying job, get married and have kids. Edward, my goals are still the same. And with you, I can't have children and I can't have a stable job. We could get married but I doubt that you'd have to self-control to consummate our marriage. I can't have a normal life."

"I know." He replied, his lips turned down in self-loathing.

"Edward, I can't keep stringing you along. I know what I want, and it'd be wrong to keep you around when I was always planning to end it off anyway."

The lies felt bitter in my mouth, and it took all of my resolve to hold back the truth. The witches were near, they could hear everything we were saying, and see everything that we're doing. Hopefully, Edward would understand eventually that I was lying.

Just not now.

"Please, Bella. Give me more time. I can prove to you that being with me is better than all of that. I love you; I can't lose you, please!" He begged, his hands searching my face. I pulled back almost cruelly

"I can find love again, with someone who can give me all of that. You will find someone else too."

"No Bella, I can't. You are literally the only love that I will ever find. Please don't leave me! I'll do anything. Anything, I swear to it!" He sounded close to tears at this point and his face was anguished.

"Goodbye, Edward." I whispered. I had to leave now, the tears were gathering at the corners of my eyes and he would see through me if I stayed any longer. I turned away from him to walk in the opposite direction, but his hand tugged me back. I twisted back around, and blinked the tears out of my eyes. It was agony to see the deep torment in his own. His golden, downcast eyes looked as if they would never be alight again.

"I can't let you go; I have to fight for you. I have to; I can't let you slip away from me. I can't, He choked on his own words, desperate.

"You always said that you wanted what was best for me. You always said that you wanted for me to be happy."

"You don't know how much I wish I could give you those things." He whispered. "I'm so sorry. I'm being very selfish. Your happiness means everything to me and if that's what you want, I won't deny you of it." He whispered.

"Thank you." I couldn't prevent the lone tear that slid down my cheek at the selflessness of his words. If only he knew the truth.

"I'll always love you, just ask and I'll be back." His hand raised up to caress my cheek tenderly for a second, to wipe the tear away, and then he turned away quickly, as if he couldn't stand to be near me anymore, as if the mere thought of me caused him pain. Maybe losing to the witches was better than hurting him. No, I couldn't believe that. He had to live! My plan had to work!

I just had to give him hope somehow.

Taking a wild risk, I turned around recklessly to find the porch empty, and then grabbed a stick off the dusty ground. I had to hope that the witches were bluffing about being able to see everything. Or at least that they weren't bluffing about me being the reason why their powers didn't work.

I definitely had to give Edward hope, no matter what the cost.

Loss of hope would kill him.

Into the ground, I deliberately scratched a few meaningful initials.

They read, _GEUC TM!_

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><p><strong>Very emotional chapter, like I said there will be a HEA!<br>**

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	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

**As always, thanks so much for the really awesome reviews. Seriously people, I couldn't have gotten this far without you. Also thanks to my readers in general :) Have fun! **

When I returned grudgingly to the witches- after having wiped all emotion off my face so that they wouldn't suspect anything treacherous- I was dismayed to see that they were exultant. I shouldn't have been surprised, in fact anything other reaction would have been uncharacteristic, but anger still flared in me, and it took all I had to repress the fury that nearly rose to the surface.

These things, these witches, really were sadists. They disgusted me more than anyone else had ever repulsed me before. Their hearts may as well have been a demon black; if my plan worked then I would in fact, soon discover the precise colour of their darkened hearts.

However, despite all that, I kept my face neutral and looked them all in the eye when I approached them.

Ava looked impressed. "Well, well. You have proved that you are worth at least a little,"

"Did you see the vampire's face? It gave me great satisfaction to see it in such pain. You could taste the agony from here." Aphrodite laughed, her eyes glinting with what seemed to be justice. I had a sudden urge to slap her.

Good thing I had amazing self-control.

Ava continued as if her sister had not interrupted her. "But not enough, we have decided to put you through another trial."

I gasped aloud. "What!"

What other terrors would I have to commit just to gain their trust? When would it become too much? What would they ask of me now? How could I do what they asked?

"Well you decided to," Scarlett muttered.

"Your impatience will be the end of you." Aphrodite hissed at her annoyed companion.

"What do I have to do," I asked, hoping desperately that it was a request that wouldn't involve hurting Edward and his family any further.

"Eager are we?" Ava said, amusement colouring her tone. "We're going to put you through two more trials. If you don't comply, we kill you. Got it?"

"Yes." I squeaked.

"Good to hear, these trials are very simple, so unless you are mentally incapacitated, you won't fail."

"She was cozy with a bunch of vampires; of course she's mentally incapacitated." Aphrodite scoffed.

Ava smiled in agreement, and it seemed oddly out of place from what I'd learnt about her. "Even then, she won't fail."

"What are these trials?" I demanded.

"The first trial was the one which you just achieved. The second one is a little more difficult but still achievable, even by a daft child." Ava smirked.

I waited.

"You have to burn down their precious home." Aphrodite sneered.

"What!" I cried out. There was no way I could do that! Esme was so proud of her home, only a heartless monster would take it away from her, as well as way from the other Cullens'. All of the Cullens' possessions were in there, as well as their memories, money and props. The Cullens' themselves would be in there! I couldn't do it, I couldn't. But their lives were at stake! Damn these witches, damn them to the fiery pits of hell!

"Haven't we tortured them enough?" I pleaded. "It would be more than evil to burn down their house!"

_Please, please, please leave them alone. I beg of you, _I desired so much to say to them.

"They _are_ creatures of evil, burning down their house is one of the tamest things that we could do to them." Ava said solemnly, as if she really believed it.

Perhaps she did.

"See! She is showing betrayal already." Aphrodite scorned, eyeing me with contempt and suspicion.

"No!" I cried out at once. This couldn't end now! "I'll do it, I'll do it."

At least the Cullens' would remain alive. I just hoped that they would understand one day. I just hoped that they would know how much of a sacrifice this was for me.

"So they won't know of your approach, I'll cast a spell which will mask your scent." Ava told me. Without warning, she shut her eyes tightly. When they opened, she sighed to us all that it was done.

"What…what do I burn it with?" I asked, my words stuck in my throat. How could I possibly do this? What could my third trial possibly be? Murdering someone?

Scarlett lobbed a box of matches into my surprised hands and I narrowly avoided dropping them onto the damp grass. I stared down at the miniature box, my breath uneven, and unable to stop the matches' box from shaking due to the uneasy tremor of my hands

"They'll be able to hear me too." I said weakly, buying for more time, even a little.

"I've fixed that too. Now go, we won't wait long for what we want." Scarlett said harshly. Sensing the danger of her impatience, I turned back the way I came, gripping the matchbox tightly in my hands.

The journey back to the Cullen house was much the same as before, I felt the same dread, the same sense of betrayal. In my anxiety, I tripped often and it took double the time it took last time to reach my destination. In my stress, I almost didn't see the house, or Edward crouching down on the dirt in front of it, but when I did, I took a step back, too intrigued by him to continue on with my mission, eager to abort it for a small period of time, regardless.

He was hovering over the inscription that I had made twenty minutes prior, a look of confusion on his stunning face. I was perturbed to see the tears that were still gathered at the corners of his eyes- tears that would never fall due to his vampirism, and had to physically grip my hands around one of the trees that I was hiding behind to stop myself from running over to Edward and embracing him as tightly as human strength would allow.

"Why Bella, why did you have to leave me and then bewilder me with puzzles such as this?" I heard him whisper. "Is this truly a sign that you meant nothing that you said, or is it just my aggrieved mind playing cruel tricks on me? Does this message you've left me truly state what I think it says?"

My eyes glistened with tears as I perceived his deep anguish. I watched him for another five minutes, just memorising his perfect features, and was just about to think of a tactic when I heard the front door open. Frozen with shock, I stayed cowering where I was.

My heart lurched as I saw Alice join Edward outside. She walked instantly to his side and then knelt down to pat his back just as a concerned sibling would.

"Don't worry, Edward. Bella will be back. Anyone can see that she loves you." Alice soothed him. Yes Alice, give him hope. Give him all that I cannot.

"But did you see this? What can she possibly mean?" He pondered for a second, his head still bowed towards my inscription in the dirt. "I have an inkling of what she means, but I doubt it. It's not in context with what just happened."

"She'll come back to you. I know her."

"Alice, you don't understand. I'm really, really scared. You can't see anything, Bella leaves this cryptic message, and I'm all alone. What I would give or do for her to come back, you have no idea. What if she was forced to do this, what if she was put against her will? I just want her back in my arms. I want to be sure of my hold on her. I just want my Bella,"

The vulnerability in his eyes- the topaz eyes that I loved so much- almost sent me to my knees.

Being the monster that I was, even after seeing his despair, I was still planning to increase his pain by burning down all of his valuables, and distressing his whole family. How could I do this? I deserved to die for this, for the witches to kill me. How could I taint such a perfect soul with such deep sadness?

I heard Alice continue, her melodic voice gentle. "Trust me; her feelings for you are the same as yours for her. And until she returns, we, all of us, will support you. That's what Cullens' do. As for the Bella being forced theory, who would force her, who would have the inclination? Bella probably just wanted space for a while."

"I hope so. But I just can't shake of the feeling that something's not right." He muttered, frustration layering his distressed tone.

"Come on, we need to discuss this with the others." Alice attempted to say cheerfully, pulling Edward up effortlessly with one capable hand. Without a word, he followed Alice hesitantly inside, only turning back to throw one last anxious glance at the message that I'd left in the dirt.

Knowing that this was my only opportunity, I crept to the side of the familiar house and opened up the matches' box with my free hand. Trembling as I did so, I took out one of the matches and raised it so it was eye-level with the box, and then scraped it across the side of the matchbox. A vibrant orange flame arose almost instantly.

Ignoring my guilty conscience and reminding myself that this was ultimately going to save them, I brushed the flame against the ivy- which crept up the white panelled exterior of the house- and unsuccessfully tried to contain a wince as I observed the flames licking up the ivy and the wall. Without a second glance at the house that had become a second home to me- and was now burning- I ran as fast as I could manage back to the witches.

_This is going to save Edward, _I thought to myself as tears of guilt streamed down my washed out cheeks as I ran.

_The witches will soon trust me and I can accomplish my plan, only one more trial to go. _

For obvious reasons, I knew that the next trial would be the most difficult of all.

_At least this will save the Cullens'; at least they'll be alive. _

It didn't help ease my guilt when I realised that I wasn't so confident on that last thought. All the collateral damage I had caused, would it all be for nothing? Would everything eventually be right again in the end? Would too many things remain wrong? Would my crimes be unforgivable?

_Will my plan even work?_

My confidence in my plan was growing startlingly low.

**These recent chapters have been really fun to write for some reason. Do you like this one? Do you think that Bella's actions were justifiable? Anything you like in particular about this chapter? Any thoughts are appreciated. **

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	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter Twenty-Five**

**For some reason, I really like how I wrote this chapter, and I hope you will too. Thanks for the reviews, adds, alerts etc. **

**Oh, and I also have to thank _Nona Decima Morta_, (You should check out her Twilight story after you finish reading this chapter) one of my good friends in real life, who helped me to get some of the facts right in this chapter to do with gruesome stuff (Don't worry, if I, a person who freaks at the sight or sound of blood, was okay with writing it, then the rest of you, my readers, will be okay with reading it) . You'll get what I mean when you read it ;)  
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**Ha, enough rambling. Enjoy :) **

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><p>As expected, when I was back among the witches, I wasn't surprised to see that all of their faces contained traces of unmistakable glee, and like before, I wanted to punch the grins off their senseless faces. Instead, I walked mutely up to them and waited patiently for the reveal of my third trial, trying very not to imagine what crime of inhumanity I would have to commit next. Thankfully, I didn't have to wait long, and to my extreme relief and sanity, they didn't gloat aloud about their triumph.<p>

They had probably already done their share of revelling in their triumph whilst I was undertaking the deplorable deed.

"We have no time; we will explain your third trial once we return to your home. The trial must be done in a place familiar by its deliverer," Ava announced, cocking her head to the east, to the direction of my house.

"But I want to watch the monsters house burn," Scarlett complained. My hands clenched into tight fists.

"Burning their house was not the point, however entertaining it might be. The point is that they will suffer, and that is good enough for me, and should be good enough for you also," Ava said haughtily.

"Yes, we can watch many more things burn in the future," Aphrodite smirked.

"Follow us, human," Ava instructed, walking in an orderly pace, with her sisters walking as equals beside her. Like a scared mouse, I scurried after them, still frightened by their sinister demeanour. They never spoke as we travelled, not even to banish the harsh silence, as if they believed that I may hear something undesirable and later turn it against them. As I trailed behind them, I couldn't help but go over my plan hundreds of thousands of times in my head. I wanted to make it as flawless and strategic as possible.

But no plan was completely flawless.

And strategy was useless.

I knew that too well, but my plan had to work. It just had to!

I flinched as my once-cherished house came into view. I used to label this place as being a place of comfort, a place of sanctuary, a place where no harm could come to me, but now it was tainted with the things that I had done recently, tainted with evil. I would never be able to look at it the same way again.

"What's going to happen to my dad?" I asked bravely, my eyes seeking the floorboards as we walked in, the door still ajar.

I wouldn't let my eyes be met with ones of evil.

Who knew what they could do?

"If your theory turns out to be entirely correct, then we will heal him. If not, he will remain unconscious until he receives the further medical help he needs," Scarlett said in a matter-factly tone.

I could sense that she was lying; they were all just trying to give me extra incentive so I would automatically reject any thoughts of betrayal towards them if any arose.

"Can't I take him to a hospital. Please," I pleaded.

"The hospital won't be necessary if you complete the third trial, and give us the correct theory." Ava hinted.

"What is this trial?" I asked, fearful of what they were planning to make me do next, fearful of what was to come.

But also determined,

"Your bedroom would be the best place to complete the act. You have an attachment to your bedroom, correct?"

"I guess so." I mumbled, unsure of where this was going and not liking it one bit.

"Perfect, show us the way."

Warily, I led them upstairs and into my room. Like the rest of the house, in appearance it looked exactly as I had left it this morning, but in atmosphere it was irreversibly contaminated. A lump formed in my throat as I perceived the yellow stain that was still present in the carpet from when the frame of the mirror had melted. What if they managed to trap Edward again? They had done it once, they could do it again. Who would save him this time? Would there be a way out? No, I couldn't think about that. Not if I wanted my plan to work.

The three of them hovered unnervingly around me in a constricting manner as I sat down cautiously on my neatly-made bed, all of them of them seeming eager for me to complete my third trial so they could go ahead as they desired. If only they knew…

"What do I have to do this time?" I asked, unable to keep the bitterness out of my voice. Thankfully, they didn't pick up on it.

"I'm afraid that even I wouldn't like to undergo this trial." Ava warned, as if I would just give up at her words and beg for them to kill me.

Not likely.

I had come too far to surrender to anything now.

"I hope you can stand pain and blood," Aphrodite chuckled darkly.

"You must carve this symbol into your arm, with our supernaturally tipped dagger. This is the symbol which you must carve," Ava raised an intricately drawn sketch into the dim light. I looked at the picture curiously. The capital letter_ D_ in the illustration had two parallel lines drawn from its curve outwards, and was connected to a capital _M_. I guessed that the drawing had been sketched with a dark and heavy HB pencil.

"What does it mean?" I wondered aloud, bewildered by the strange drawing, and in my interest, forgetting her first disturbing words.

"The _D_ stands for the Latin word of deceit, _dolositas_. The two lines represent an equals sign, and the _M_ stands for the Latin word of death, _Mors_."

I paled, finally understanding what she was implying.

"In other words, if you commit any form of deceit to any of us once the lettering has been carved with this dagger into your skin, you will die,"

They all watched me carefully, waiting for something to change in my facial expression.

Nothing was altered.

I was strangely calm. This was it, I would die then, but I would die for the Cullens', I would die for Edward. It alarmed me how tranquil I was feeling in the midst of all of this, how the thought of my own upcoming demise didn't faze me at all. It was probably the fact that the witches trusted me now, that my plan would work, that Edward would live.

I could breathe again; I would die happily if Edward could live without fear again.

_May I die then, _I thought to myself without one ounce of fear.

But first, I had one question to ask, one of no importance but which was equally pressing.

"Why did you make me undergo the other trials, this one makes the other two pointless,"

"Oh, that was just getting you to do our dirty work. This is the real trial," Aphrodite laughed menacingly.

This time, I couldn't contain my anger.

"You have got to be joking! You made me do all of that for….for _fun_. You sick bastards," I spat at them, disgusted, even more so than I had ever been.

"Feeling sympathy for the vampires? You won't dare to show or have any, once the insignia of allegiance has been carved," Scarlett threatened darkly.

"Be quiet, you insolent fool," Ava looked truly livid now as she focused her fiery glare on me. "You, have a choice. Live, dispel all sympathy for the vampires, and make the insignia allegiance or die, and join the vampires in hell,"

"All right," I submitted, feeling the anger slip away. "Hand me the damn dagger," I outstretched my hand, feeling no trepidation, nor regret as I took the blade from Scarlett's warm hands. The hilt of the dagger hinted at its obviously ancient heritage and valuable striking gems of varying hues of emerald, adorned it, making it a little difficult to grip the hilt comfortably. The blade on the other hand was cool to the feel and undeniably sharp.

Trying not to think about what I was about to do, I pressed the blade lightly against my left arm, looking up at the witches for approval. Ava nodded.

"How deep should I make the gouge? And which side of my arm," I asked, all the rage having fully missing now, determination taking its place.

"Deep enough so blood is drawn." Aphrodite seemed pleased to inform me. I payed her no mind, looking to Ava instead. I had learnt by now that Ava was the staid one, the one who didn't mess around, the one who was intent on the thing that she wanted. The other two were more focused on revenge than gaining temporary immortality like they had set out for. As much as I grudgingly didn't want to admit, like me, her wrath had also faded as quickly as it had come.

"Aphrodite is correct, but cut into the upper side of the arm not the lower. We can't afford for you to die now if you strike a vein,"

Sensing no further instruction, I applied pressure to blade and dug it through my sensitive skin, the pierce of the blade against my skin, causing me to cry out in pain and tears to well in my eyes. The pain was of such that I couldn't contain it despite my previously made resolve. It was the worst pain that I'd ever physically felt, but not even close to the pain that I'd emotionally endured when I'd been forced to break it off with Edward so cruelly. Each strike of the blade, each symbol which I engraved in my skin, every pint of blood that dripped perilously from my arm, was nothing compared to that.

The whole process took an entire five minutes, and at the end of it, I couldn't help but clutch my bloody hand with my clean one, sickened by all the blood, even if it was my own, and needing something to seize onto. The pool of my blood drenched in the carpet was making my head spin, and my vision was growing slightly blurry. Unable to help myself, I let myself fall back slowly so that my pounding head was resting upon my welcoming pillow. It took all I had not to squeeze my eyes shut, to will the sickness away.

It wouldn't work in any case.

It never had.

"Get up you weak human, you've proved that you're trustworthy, now go and make us our vampire poison!" One of them hissed, and I was too delirious to recognise who.

Oh, I would make them poison all right! Just not for my vampires.

"She needs to be fully rested," Another snapped. "Let her recuperate,"

Other words were said, but I was beyond hearing them.

I had already succumbed to unconsciousness.

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><p><strong>I hope my originality isn't too weird for you. Thoughts and reviews would be nice :) <strong>

**And if you do review, then you will be treated with a chapter in less than three days ;) **


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter Twenty-Six**

**Thanks so much for the reviews people! I seriously had no idea that it would be this popular, none of my others have been. Now read on, you have a very long, but awesome chapter to read. Unfortunately, it's the last one besides the epilogue but it's still very good. Have fun :) **

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><p>I woke up at what seemed like a very early hour judging by the light filtering through the blinds, feeling thoroughly dazed. It took me a few minutes to remember everything that had happened yesterday, and when I had, I still wasn't sure if it was real. It all felt like a nightmare, a horrible, traumatic nightmare. But no, even without looking at the disturbing thin white scars- which were scarily all that was left of the injury I received yesterday in the ritual - on my arm, I knew that what I had thought happened was accurate.<p>

It was because of the numbness inside of me which made it certain, the numbness of knowing I was going to die today, the numbness of knowing that Edward and I would never share another word, nor another kiss, nor another exclamation of love, the numbness of knowing everything that I had done and realising that I would never be able to apologise for it, not even fleetingly.

I wondered what other people did when they knew they were going to die soon. Usually, I remembered- from television shows and inspirational newspaper articles- that they would make up for the wrongs they had committed, and live life to its fullest until their short time was up, despite the length of time they had left. I could do neither, although I supposed that my death was technically my way of making things right, of achieving my greatest wish- keeping Edward safe and alive.

I also wondered about what would have happened with Edward and me, future-wise, if life had been fair and let us both live. But life was cruel, and it was inevitable, if I lived, he would die, and if I died, he would live. There was no question of which option I was going to choose. The decision had been made as soon as it had become necessary. Still, I couldn't help but fantasise about what would have happened if we were both allowed to be together in this world, if the witches didn't exist.

I imagine that I would have married him in a few years' time, that we would have had an intimate ceremony just between the two of us and our close family. One of no extravagance, where I would have worn a simple white dress, one where maybe the dress wasn't even white, and the decorations were minimal. One where all we did was exchange our vows, one where I was officially bound to him forever.

Irrepressible emotion, deep sadness, began to inspire in me when I realised that I could never have that, I could never fully belong to him. Not now, not ever.

Still, I couldn't stop my imagination from conjuring up even more desirable but also painful- because death was going to steal them from me tonight- images.

I imagined that after the wedding, he would whisk me away to some romantic setting of our choice. Paris, Venice, London, Rio, Sydney, and maybe even all of them, despite the fact that they were all so far away from each other. Then again, we'd probably rarely see the sights; I imagined that we'd be stuck in our hotel room all day, and not just because of the sun. We'd probably be so consumed by the other, that we'd forget everything else, including the location.

My cheeks turned a faint pink when I realised how much I longed for that, and at the visions which had been conjured up in my mind.

My head tried to tell myself that it didn't matter anyway, that I would have grown old while he would have stayed young, as a vampire forever, that he would have tiered of me. But my heart knew that the second he asked me to join him in eternity, I would have accepted. We would have been together for time without end; even death wouldn't have parted us because we would have been unyielding to it.

I cut off my fantasies abruptly when I realised that dwelling over what I could have had wasn't going to make passing on or sacrificing myself any easier.

It was either him or me.

And I chose him.

All thoughts were cut off and were replaced with the same feeling of detachment from before, when Ava strode in, her eyes wary, and her mouth in a tight, serious line.

"I see you're awake. Does the insignia hurt?" She asked, her voice predictably cold, a contradiction.

"No," I said dully in response.

"Good, everything seems to be working then. Do you need any resources to make the concentration?"

"No," I replied just as drearily, the numbness making it impossible to feel any emotion anymore. Perhaps the witches' presence only made the fact that I was going to die feel more real.

Feel more final.

"Where do you expect to get the resources from?" She demanded scathingly.

"I have holy water in the cupboard downstairs," My voice was monotone as I explained. "My uncle gave a small vial to us to bless some household items with. We never remembered to use it, so it's still efficient,"

"What of the other requirements?"

"I have a piece of his hair in my pocket," I patted my pocket absently.

"Is that all you need?"

I managed a frown. "Yes, well besides privacy,"

"Why do you need privacy?" She asked suspiciously.

"It's a part of the ceremony. It won't work unless the one with godly connections is alone,"

"Deceit leads to death, you better not be planning to commit it. Look at your arm if you need a reminder," She said harshly before exiting the room and signalling for me to follow.

I flinched at her words, but followed her obediently. It took me a few seconds to realise that she was leading me to the kitchen. Her sisters waited with purpose outside the kitchen door, disappointment replacing their usual malice.

"We'll wait here, while you go inside and make the concoction," Ava instructed, joining her sisters' patient guard outside the door.

"Remember," I said in a last-minute attempt to increase my chances of succeeding. "I have to do this alone; I can't be watched otherwise it won't work,"

"Convenient, isn't it," Aphrodite glared at me.

"I swear that what I'm saying is the truth,"

I didn't even feel guilty for lying; my conscious didn't seem to be tainted at all.

"See, now go in and make the damn thing," Scarlett stepped forward to push me lightly, impatient for her revenge. Being the klutz that I was, the slight push sent me sprawling to the linoleum kitchen floor. The door slammed shut behind me without warning and I was suddenly alone.

For the first time since early yesterday, I was finally in no other company but my own.

But I couldn't dwell on it, I had to do what I had to do.

My fingers searched blindly in my pocket for the lock of Edward's hair which I had so sinfully obtained. The sight of it, of even an insignificant part of him, caused tears to spring to my eyes, and I couldn't help but to stroke the fragment of hair delicately.

This was the last thing I had of his, the last thing of his I had to hold on to.

And now I had to let it go.

I had to let him go.

In both a symbolic and physical gesture, I wiped away my wet eyes with the back of my hand, and placed the lock of hair aside on the kitchen counter. Staring at the kitchen floor, I half-expected Charlie to be still lying unconscious there, but of course not. They must have moved him as to make my job easier.

I hoped that the Cullens would look after him when I died. Edward would know what I would have wanted had I still been alive.

Pushing all other thoughts from my head, I decided to focus on my task.

I couldn't screw this up, not when so many lives depended upon on it!

I knew that the sound of running water would arise the witches' suspicions, so as an alternative, I had to rummage as quietly as I could through the cabinet below the sink for a clear looking liquid. In the end, I decided lemonade from the fridge would do the trick. I could just pass off the bubbles as being an effect of the vampire hair in the liquid.

My heart began to race frantically, as I searched for a possible poison, knowing that this was the vital part of my plan. My seeking hand came across some rat poison, and I knew that it was the best that I would find; Charlie didn't keep any sort of poison in the house unless it was for vermin.

I felt incredibly anxious as I dropped the rat poison into the glass of lemonade, as if it would blow up precariously in my face or I would die straight away for acting in betrayal towards the witches'.

To my great relief, neither occurred.

Now, I had to let the handsome lock of Edward's bronze hair fall into the ghastly mixture. Unable to help myself, and in a way, it was a silent goodbye to Edward even if he would never know of it, I kissed the strand of hair and closed my eyes as I let it fall into the concoction.

Finally, I had to get two more glasses from the cupboard and pour an even amount of the stuff into all three glasses.

It was done.

"I've done it," I called out shakily, but with a suitable volume of noise. The door swung open almost immediately.

"Did you have to mix it around for five minutes or something? Why did you take so long?" Scarlett grumbled, while Aphrodite agreed with her distractively, her eyes fixed greedily on the glass I held tightly in my sweaty hands.

Well at least she didn't sound suspicious, just impatient.

'You all have to drink it all at once, otherwise it won't work, and only one of you will be able to kill him. I'm sure you want to have an equal share on the victory," I tried to say nonchalantly, like I understood what vengeance entitled.

"Of course," Aphrodite snapped. "Now give it to us,"

"It needs to be drunk at the exact same second," I warned. They all grabbed a glass regardless, but thankfully they didn't drink it straight away. Aphrodite and Scarlett looked to Ava for instruction before doing anything, who had taken no action also.

"On the count of three," Ava began, her voice breathless with excitement.

"One,"

They all clutched their glasses just a little bit tighter.

"Two,"

Grins surfaced on all of their faces.

"Three,"

At precisely the same second, they all tipped the contents of the glass into their awaiting mouths, caution no longer present in their zeal. The effects of the poison began working immediately.

"Something's wrong," Scarlett perceived with a frown. "I feel…quite drained,"

"She's done something wrong, I know it!" Aphrodite hissed.

"If she did, then why isn't she dead yet?" Ava snarled.

Yes, why wasn't I dead? I made an act of betrayal towards them, didn't it work? Was the rat poison insufficient? What was I going to do if it was true? Would neither I nor Edward live now? What would…

Before I could even finish my panic-streamed thoughts, Aphrodite was stalking towards me, her steps sluggish and faltered, a crazed look in her eye.

"You should be dead," She shrieked. "I know you betrayed us! Our powers won't work, and I can feel myself growing weaker by the second. It must be your shield, it's protecting you. We should have realised that it was far stronger than we thought,"

"But the healing spell worked, why not this, why must the fates turn on us?" Ava screeched.

"Since the insignia didn't kill you, I will," Aphrodite shakily pulled out the same dagger that I'd used to make the initials in my arm, and drove it through my abdomen. I let out a tiny cry of surprise, as blood began to pool from the wound and stain my shirt. The pain was unendurable, but I bore it well, cowering back immediately and resisting the urge to cover the wound with my clammy hands.

Fortunately, due to Aphrodite's weak state, the wound she caused was not deep, but it did cause me to become dizzy and slightly nauseous. I held back the bile with tremendous effort, and instead pushed Aphrodite into the wall with as much strength as I could muster; ignoring the immense pain it caused me to move.

My violent push caused for Aphrodite to collapse onto her sisters, and sent them all sprawling to the floor.

They never got up, clearly unconscious.

I doubted it was my push which did the trick; the poison had obviously weakened them greatly, thankfully to the extent of unconsciousness.

I knew only had a few minutes now.

The poison had caused its final effect, and this concluding effect would only last ten minutes. The severity of my wound was making my vision go blurry, and I could tell that I was losing an ample amount of blood, but I had to do it, I had to kill them.

No matter the cost.

I had to do it for the Cullens, for Edward, for our future.

Screw every possible risk, if I didn't kill them, then I'd face a death worse than blood loss, I was sure.

I raced to a specific kitchen cabinet, ignoring how everything seemed to be on a tilt due to my dizziness, and flung open one of the drawers, searching for a deadly weapon. I knew I couldn't use the witch's dagger; it may have no effect on them. The best I could see was a cook's knife, so I grabbed it quickly and dropped to Aphrodite's side- she would be the first to die.

Rolling her seemingly lifeless body so she was lying on her back, and I could have greater access to her heart, I raised the dagger above her chest. I really shouldn't have felt any hesitation when I glanced at her innocent-looking face. I guess it was the fact that I was about to kill a living creature, that I was about to steal someone's life from them. But then I realised that these things were monsters, they had no souls or any sort of good in them, despite their appearances, and all my hesitation drifted away. A second later and I drove the knife through her chest.

It didn't work quite the way I wanted.

Blood gushed out of the gouge, and trickled down her pale skin and onto her clothes. The blood was a weird, silvery substance, and was the only physical thing which differentiated her from a human.

But the cut that I'd made was only a thin line. There was no way I could reach in and squeeze her heart with even just one hand, or touch it with one finger. Frustrated, I drew the knife through her skin again, but the same thing resulted. My eyes grew wet as I realised how impossible the task I was trying to attempt was, and how little time I had. I tried again, and again, to make a deep abrasion in her skin, in the area of her heart, but all that came of my attempts were tiny cuts that drew little blood.

My efforts were hopeless, my head was pounding, blood still flowed precariously from the wound in my abdomen, and I felt the sickest that I'd ever physically felt in my life.

They were going to wake up again, and I, and everyone I loved was going to die.

Was it wrong how badly I wanted to give up?

Unable to take it anymore, I let the knife slip from my fingers and clatter to the ground, and put my face in my hands, there was no point stopping my own blood from flowing, I was going to die anyway. The sickness was of such that I was compelled to lie back, I might as well have gotten as much comfort as I could before I died.

But just as I fell back, I felt myself being supported by a pair of very cold, but comforting arms. I turned my head weakly to see Edward.

Edward!

He had come, he knew everything, I could tell by the rueful look in his topaz eyes. Tears filled in my own at the sight of him, making his form even more blurry than it was before.

"Edward, I'm so sorry. I did so many horrible things, I'm sorry," I whispered to him, as he cradled me in his arms. His siblings and parents filed in a few seconds later, and began to rip the witches chests open, their mangled organs now visible.

"I know, Bella, I know. You were so brave," His voice broke. "I wish I could kill them for making you do those things, I wish it could have been me who they tortured,"

"I was doing it for you, I had to let you live. This world can't function without you," I blubbered, the tears streaking down my cheeks now.

"And you think it can function without you?" He said tenderly, kissing my forehead.

"I don't want to close my eyes, but I can feel myself drifting into unconsciousness," I frowned, stroking his face weakly with my hand.

"Bella, sweetheart, I hate to ask you of this, but would you be able to finish off the witches by squeezing their hearts? Nobody else is capable of doing it since we're all vampires, and when it's done, we'll have all the time in the world," He smiled at me anxiously.

"Oh," I said stupidly. To tell the truth, I had completely forgotten about anything else but the fact that Edward was with me. "Of course,"

"Alice, Emmett, Jasper. Could you please haul them over here," Edward asked.

"I only wish that I could do the job," Emmett eyed Ava, the witch whom he was holding, with disgust. The other two agreed with him sincerely, and dropped the witches by my side.

"Could you hold one upright," I asked Alice, cringing. "Can I close my eyes; I think I'll be sick if I look,"

"Of course," Edward and Alice both agreed at once. Shutting my eyes tightly, I held the slimy object firmly in my two hands and squeezed with all that I had in me. I felt something stream down my fingers, like juice being squeezed from an orange, and I had a horrible suspicion that it was blood.

"Did it work?" I asked, forcing myself not to look.

"Yes," Edward replied, his voice relieved. "Her whole form is withering away,"

"Next one," Emmett said with anticipation, and I could hear his hands clapping together as if he thought what we were doing was a game.

"All right Bella, I've got the next one ready," Alice told me. Reaching out blindly, I found the witches' vital organ quickly; I knew from touch that this was what I was searching for. I clutched it just as tightly as the last, and knew that the witch had died when I could no longer sense life in her.

I didn't know if it was just me, but I felt as if I was growing stronger, that my weakness was fading as the witches passed on.

With the last one, I knew exactly where to look for the heart, and it took me half the time to squeeze her heart tightly in my hands, and drain the life from her. When I felt that it was done, that it was finally finished, I opened my eyes to see all of the Cullens triumphant, proud faces which were fixed on me. Every one of them wore a smile, and I could tell that they were holding back themselves from hugging me in gratitude and celebration.

"Oh Bella, I can't believe you did all that for us. You are the strongest, most bravest person I have ever met," Alice told me sincerely.

"If only we knew," Esme said remorsefully. "We should have realised that something was up. Edward did," She turned to smile at her son proudly.

"How did you know?" I asked him, shocked.

"Even though I can't read your mind, I can still read your face like a book. I could tell that something was wrong, but I didn't realise that it was_ this_," His face clouded with regret.

"Edward," I told him gently. "You couldn't have protected me from this. They would have trapped you again or maybe something worse. They're dead now, they can't hurt us,"

"And they never will," He said, his glorious face glowing in his exultation.

"How did you know to come here?" I questioned him curiously.

"I'm guessing that the witches blocked our powers, did they not?" Edward asked me with a frown. I nodded. "Well, when they were weakened and all their powers were taken away, ours were given back. Alice could see where you were this entire time and who you were with,"

"And then everything made sense," Jasper murmured.

"If only…" I trailed off with a gasp as I realised what, or more specifically who I'd forgotten about. "Charlie, they stashed him somewhere in this house, and he's unconscious and needs to go to hospital. We need to take him now!"

"Yes, the witches spell to stabilize him has now faded," Alice also gasped. "We need to take him,"

"Why didn't we do this straight away," I moaned, going into panic mode.

"Don't worry Bella, we'll do that," Rosalie told me, gesturing to herself and Emmett, who grinned eagerly at me. I smiled at them gratefully.

"They put him in the laundry," Alice informed them before they left the room.

"Bella!" Edward said loudly in horror. "Why didn't you tell us that you're hurt?"

Jostled, I remembered what Aphrodite had done. I'd completely forgotten about my chest wound. Strangely, alarmingly, it didn't hurt anymore. It was like I was stained with someone else's blood but not my own. My sickness had also faded, it was as if I had taken the witches strength and given it to myself unknowingly when I killed them.

"It doesn't look like it's just happened. It looks as if it occurred a few days ago. Have you been hiding this from everyone?" Carlisle asked me sternly, in doctor mode immediately at the sign of an injury.

I reassured them quickly. "No, of course not. I wouldn't have hidden something as bad as that. One of them, Aphrodite, stabbed me around half an hour ago. I'm not in pain though," I told them, my forehead pinching together in confusion.

"The wound should be still bleeding then," Carlisle frowned.

_It's not bleeding? _

I looked down at the abrasion bewilderedly, and was startled to see that he was right. The wound had patched itself up already. I may have not been a doctor, but I knew this wasn't normal.

"I have a theory," Alice said calmly.

"That is quite plausible," Edward agreed, picking the thought out of her head.

"It's not something bad is it," I winced.

"Well it depends on how you look at it," Alice's head cocked to the side, a little indecisive for once.

"Lay it on me," I sighed, ready to take anything.

"Well, when Bella killed the witches, she took their life essence. But where did all the power go? It's evident that Bella has acquired some of their powers. I'm not sure to what extent, but your wounds healing themselves present some healing powers,"

"What! I can't be like them. I can't" I shook my head wildly. I refused to be like those monsters, I refused to believe that Alice's theory was correct even if it was the only one which made sense.

"You're nothing like them," Edward promised me, embracing me reassuringly.

Alice agreed with him. "Edward's right, you may have inherited some of their powers, but that does not mean that you will be forced to act like them, or be as cruel as they were. It's just a theory in any case,"

"What are we going to do with the bodies?" I asked.

"There are no bodies to dispose of," Esme commented. "They all turned to dust the second they died,"

"Now that's convenient," Alice said, trying to uplift our anxious moods.

Edward and I cracked a smile.

"There was something else," I remembered suddenly. "Something about me having a shield. The witches said that none of their powers worked because of my shield. What does that mean? Why do I have one but no one else does?"

"Early manifestation of a vampire power," Jasper said softly.

"Humans often show signs of the power they would possess should they be turned into one of us," Alice explained.

"It doesn't mean you have to become a vampire," Edward said hastily.

I took a deep, necessary breath before I spoke "All of this can be discussed later, and it will be,"

"Of course," He agreed, his eyes turning soft as he gazed upon me.

"What matters is that we're together. And nothing can stand in our way," I said fiercely, pulling his head down to my level and engaging in a fiery kiss with him. Oh, how I had missed this, the feeling of his mouth on mine, the feeling that everything was right in the world, the feeling of our breaths mingling, and most of all, the feeling of _him_. Nothing could compare to his kisses, nothing in this world, or in the next. His kisses were heaven, literally.

And now nothing could tear us apart. Before, I'd been worried of dying too early, that I'd lose everything before I'd even gotten it. But now I could experience all the things that I'd dreamed of, all the things that I'd desired and much, much more that I'd never even contemplated.

I had so much life ahead of me, so many opportunities.

And I had Edward to share it with.

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><p><strong>There's only the epilogue to go now :( <strong>

**Please review, I very nicely gave you an extremely long chapter which I worked really hard on, so please reward me with a review :) **

**Reviews= the epilogue in less than three days. **


	27. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

**Yes, yes, I know it's a day late despite your awesome reviewing skills, but I did have my reasons. (The fact that I was sick and my head was hazy, trust me you did not want to read the original chapter I tried to write when I was in that state of mind) I've tried to make this epilogue as original as I could, and I hope you guys like it. **

**I can't believe that this is the end of Reflection (well kind of, considering I'm planning to do outtakes, hello, EPOV) **

**Thanks again to my friend**_** Nona Decima Morta **_**who helped me edit this chapter in my slightly hazy state. **

**You people have been really been awesome, and this story wouldn't have gotten this far if you – readers, reviewers, alerters and everyone else who gave me support – weren't there every time. Thank you! **

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><p><em>Three years later,<em>

My eyes swept frantically from the expensive watch on my wrist and to the bustling street ahead of me every few steps that I took. Alice was going to kill me. I was extremely late, and it wasn't even my fault. My stupid college friends wanted to catch up at a nearby café and they'd insisted that I stay longer than I'd planned. It'd only been a few weeks since we'd graduated so I couldn't fathom why we needed a catch up now. Then again, they didn't understand how busy I was these days.

It was probably because none of them wore a gorgeous, shimmering diamond on the third finger of their left hand.

I couldn't help but admire it, as I rushed through the busy streets of Seattle. Admire its beauty and simplicity. Edward knew precisely what I liked, and the ring felt like it was a part of me, like it had always been there. I smiled as I remembered the exact way in which he'd proposed, how romantic and perfect it had been.

_Flashback_

"_Where is everyone?" I wondered aloud, as Edward and I walked into his grand house, hand in hand. I was still so relieved that the house hadn't perished when I'd lit it in on fire all those years ago – all that remained of dangerous actions was a blackening of the wood, and loss of the ivy on the side of the house. _

_He smiled at me. "Oh, they all had something to do," _

"_It's weird, I don't think I've ever seen this house empty before," I noted. _

"_I wanted to show you something," He admitted, leading me to the grand piano. We both sat on the stool, our hands still interlocked. _

"_Have you made a new composition?" I asked brightly. _

"_Yes, and no," _

"_What's with the new décor?" I was curious. Two beautifully scented candles were set upon the stand, replacing any sheet of music that might have been there had Edward not had a perfect memory. _

"_I wanted to make this special," _

"_Make what special?" I pondered. Silently, his hand slid out of mine and rested on the ivory keys. He stared at my face for a second, as if for inspiration, and then began to play the most complex, but gentle and beautiful piece that had ever graced my ears. _

"_This is your song, Bella," Edward murmured, as the luxuriant and sweet music surged on. "I've named it Bella's lullaby," _

_Joy-filled tears swam up in my eyes and my voice was choked up, emotional as I spoke. _

"_It's so beautiful; I can't believe that this is for me," _

"_Nothing would be more fitting," Edward said softly. _

_A few more minutes passed, and the music came to a lulling halt. I wiped the jubilant tears out of my eyes with the back of my hand, and opened them again, only to have them almost fill with tears again. _

_Edward knelt before me, gracefully poised on one knee, holding out a black velvet box for me to gasp at. I knew that at this instant everything I had ever wanted, my most desired dream was about to come true. From this moment everything would change, everything would turn the right way up as it should. _

_And I couldn't be any more ecstatic about it. _

"_Isabella Marie Swan, there are no words which can appropriately describe the adoration, the absolute love, I have for you. There is nothing I want more in the world, but for you to be my wife. So Bella, my beloved Bella, the only woman who has captured my heart, will you marry me?" _

"_Of course, there is no other answer but the one which says yes," I whispered, smiling like I never had before. His own face was more exultant than I'd ever seen it, as he slid the stunning ring onto the third finger of my left hand. He kissed the ring delicately, before bringing his mouth to mine to form a passionate and fiery kiss._

_End of flashback_

My eyes then travelled to the antique necklace, which complimented my usually bare neck. Edward had given it to me for my eighteenth birthday, the one which I'd refused to let him buy all that time ago. I'd almost forgotten about that fateful day when I'd discovered that he was a vampire. Everything had changed so much since then. But nothing, _nothing_ at all could remove the traumatic memories that the witches had imprinted on me. To this day, I still shivered whenever they were mentioned – and they weren't mentioned very often because Edward hated remembering those times too, and it still chilled me to my bones whenever someone asked me how I got that 'funny looking scar'. The week after we'd killed the witches was very difficult, but it gave us both a chance to realise how much we meant to the other, to not take everything for granted, and to realise that everything could change in a matter of seconds.

I repressed a smile as I recalled how protective Edward was for a while. He had refused to leave my side and glared at anyone suspicious who came near. The events had me just as paranoid, and I was just as glad not to be left alone. My smile faded as I remembered Charlie's disorientation when he finally woke up from his coma. Fortunately he didn't remember anything from that day, but he sometimes commented that he had weird dreams about faceless women who possessed him, I was just grateful that they hadn't put a permanent impact on his life.

Renee had come over to stay with me while Charlie was healing in hospital. I remembered how she had reconnected with Charlie while she was there, and tried to fight a smile at her reaction to Edward.

"_Wow Bella, you sure picked a good one, no wonder you didn't want to come back to Phoenix when I asked," _I remembered her saying.

When I had told Renee over the phone, of my engagement, her reply had shocked me (she had asked why Edward had taken so long to pop the question)_. _Charlie on the other hand thought it was too soon, and that I should wait until I got a proper job. A week later, he had warmed to the idea. When he had seen how ecstatic his future in-laws were, his opinion on the whole thing changed dramatically. That had all been three months ago, and now, with a week until the wedding, I was very stressed out.

Why Alice wanted to search for a damned wedding cake in Seattle was beyond me. Half the guests wouldn't even be eating it and it didn't matter in any case. Alice swiftly told me that presentation was just as important as taste, and had given me no choice but to grudgingly agree. Edward and I were content to have a simple wedding like I'd envisioned, but no, Alice had to invite everyone in the whole damn town, and insisted on planning the whole thing. Well at least she had no say in the honeymoon, Edward and I had chosen Paris as our destination.

I couldn't wait.

Lost in my daydreams about Paris, and about the wedding, I failed to notice the little girl who had run into me.

That was until I heard her melodic child-like voice.

"Mummy," Her big brown eyes lit up and she hugged me around my middle. I stood there awkwardly, unsure of what to do.

"I'm sorry, I can help you find your mummy if you want," I suggested, appraising the little girl curiously. The girl looked oddly familiar even though I was sure I'd never seen her in my life. There was something about her bronze curls, the expression on her face, which seemed familiar.

"Oh, whoops," She giggled. "What year is this?"

I decided to play along with her little game, hoping that it would enlighten me on her parent's whereabouts.

"2012,"

"Oh, you're not … I've always wanted to meet you in this time!"

"I need to get you back to your parents; they must be really worried about you," I looked around anxiously, but nobody stopped to claim the little girl.

"You're my mummy. Although Daddy, might be a little worried cause I'm not supposed to be here. I said I'd go only five years back, not this far," She frowned.

What was she talking about?

"Okay, what's your daddy's name then? Maybe I can find him for you," I told her.

"Silly, you already know who daddy is. You're the one who's married to him," She said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Look," I said gently. "I'm not your mother but I can help you find her,"

"I can prove to you that I'm your daughter if you want," She shrugged nonchalantly.

"Okay," I agreed, hoping that this would stall her and give her real parents time to find her.

"Okay, first of all. My name is Renesmee Carlie Cullen. You named me after grandma Esme, and my other grandma Renee,"

Okay this was getting weird.

She continued in her high trilling voice. "I have two Aunties, Aunt Rose and Aunt Alice, and two Uncles, Uncle Jasper, and Uncle Emmett. Everyone but me calls you Bella, but that's because you're my mummy. Everyone calls Daddy, Edward but he's my daddy, so of course I don't call him that."

"Edward can't have kids, it's physically impossible," I whispered to myself. I looked at the little girl – Renesmee – more closely and gasped with shock when I saw the similarities between her and me, between her and Edward.

It was impossible though, how could this be happening?

Even then I couldn't deny a few things. I couldn't deny that her hair was the exact same hue as Edward's, the same texture as Charlie's, and her eyes looked familiar because they were mine.

"Even…. Even if you are my daughter," I said shakily. This is impossible for so many reasons. How old are you?"

"Well I look eight but in actuality I'm two,"

"Two?" I repeated incredulously.

"I'm a hybrid, both human and vampire. You gave birth to me when you were human,"

"I'm still human,"

"Not for long, Daddy changed you into a vampire after I was born, this will all happen in..." she paused for a second, calculating. "Four months,"

"I always knew I'd win that argument," I muttered to myself, momentarily pleased. "Wait, four months, as in this happens in the future?"

"Of course, how else could I be here?" She grinned. "Let's take a walk, I'll explain everything,"

"Okay," I agreed, all other plans forgotten.

I had a daughter, a daughter!

My shock was beginning to fade away, and in its place was awe.

"So you time travel. Is that your vampire power?"

"No," She shook her head. "My vampire power is way different from that, but I'll show you it later."

"Then how are you able to be here?"

"I'm special," she said simply. "Whenever I asked you and Daddy, you would always tell me this story about how you killed three evil witches. All the powers that you acquired when you killed them were passed on to me. I'm kinda a witch in a way, but I have way more powers than you do. All you can do besides shielding is healing yourself and others. All the other powers were passed onto me," She said proudly.

"But why didn't the original witches just go back in time and kill me if that was the case?" I asked, baffled.

"We think it's to do with the fact that Daddy's a vampire. Nobody knows," She shrugged.

"Why did you decide to go back this far in time?"

"I told you before, it was involuntary. I tried to go back to one of the months where you were pregnant with me but I went a little too far," She laughed.

"What else can you do?" I wondered.

"Oh, a lot of things," She said brightly. "I have healing powers like you, I can block people's powers like you, I can mind control people, and I can even teleport to wherever I want,"

"Vampires can't have children though. How is this even possible?"

"That's what they all thought. You, and Daddy, used to call me your 'miracle baby',"

"I'll say," I murmured.

"Crap," She muttered sounding eerily like me. "I'm going to go back to my time in a second. I can only stay in the future or the past for twenty minutes,"

"You'll see me in a second anyway," I smiled.

"Yes, but _Human You_ is very interesting," She said, wrapping her small arms around my waist and hugging me tightly. "Bye mummy,"

"Bye," I whispered, enveloping my arms around her, and kissing her forehead without thinking about it. Suddenly, I was standing there, holding onto nothing at all, my future daughter nowhere to be seen.

I smiled to myself, thinking of what was to come.

…

"Bella, why are you so late? You were supposed to be here half an hour ago," Alice snapped.

"Sorry," I said meekly.

"Where were you anyway? I couldn't even see your future," She hissed, more quietly so that nobody would hear her strange words.

I turned to Edward instead, who walked over to me and snaked his arm around my waist, a smile on his divine face.

"Hey," I said, kissing him in welcome, a little thoughtful and excited. "You'll never believe who I just met."

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><p><strong>So that's the end. Sadly, I don't think there will be a sequel because I have absolutely no clue on how to continue this, BUT, I will be posting some of the chapters in Edward's POV. I have no idea which outtake to write so I need some requests from you guys. <strong>

**Once again, you guys have been so awesome throughout this all, so thank you :) **

**Oh, and I am planning to put up another Twilight fanfiction in a few days, (the first chapter is currently being beta'd) so if you guys could put me on author alert then that would be awesome! That way you'll know when it's up and you can hopefully read it. :) **

**I can't really bribe you with a new chapter BUT I can bribe you with an outtake, so can you please, pretty please review? **


	28. Outtake Part 1

**Outtake Part 1:**

** Have fun reading :) **

**EPOV**

It was just another ordinary day, and I was in my in my room, listening to my music through a loud speaker system. I was alone, as was usually the case. Did it bother me that I didn't have a mate when the remainder of my family all had? Sometimes, I admit that it did. This usually happened at events like Christmas and anniversaries where they publicly showed their affection, but most of the time I was content in myself. Esme told me that this was only because I didn't know what I was missing out on, but I disagreed.

Today was one of those days where I wished I had a mate, just for the sake of having someone to distract me from the loneliness of this life.

The others had all gone hunting with their respective mates, and I knew it'd be some time before they returned. They'd all tried to convince me to come with them, but I wanted to be alone. Being surrounded by so many couples all the time was tiring.

Debussy's soothing notes came to a conclusion, and silence filled the air. Now I was completely and utterly alone, not having even music to keep me company. I sighed in frustration, unsure of what to do with my spare time. Bored, I went downstairs and began to play a few of my own compositions on the piano, unconscious of which songs I automatically played, it didn't surprise me that the theme of all of them was solitude.

I knew that I shouldn't resent my family when I may very well find someone someday, but I had a feeling that the day they all envisioned would never come. I played for another hour, lost in the rhythm of the music, feeling as if nothing could disturb me from it. Despite this, it didn't escape my notice when all the lights suspiciously turned off.

Of course, being the vampire I was, it didn't affect my eyesight or piano playing at all, but irritated me slightly. I knew something was very wrong when I felt a chill run through me at the suddenly frigid atmosphere.

I felt_ cold_?

Nothing ever felt cold to me, not ever! I jumped up at once, whipping my head from side to side and trying to find the culprit. I couldn't hear anything, no voices, no breathing. I couldn't even hear anyone's thoughts; it was if a ghost was here. I couldn't smell anything either, the sweet smell of a vampire, nor the appetising scent of a human were perceivable like they should be. Even the earlier scents of my family were undetectable. It was as if all my senses – and my mind-reading- had been blocked.

Finally, after a few minutes of nervous suspense, I heard the sound of quiet breathing and thudding heartbeats outside, as well as murmured voices. There were three of them, I could tell, but I was unsure of their genders. I still couldn't smell them, and their minds were hidden from me so I couldn't help but feel irritated at whoever they were. I wasn't sure what to think, I had no idea what to do.

I had never been taken by surprise like this before!

Some deep buried instinct inside of me warned me to run, but I scoffed at it. _Let these people come_, I thought. I was quite curious about how they could all be blocking my power, and tried to shake of my slight fear. Nothing on this earth could hurt me except for another vampire, and these people had heartbeats. But why were my instincts telling me to be terrified if this was the case?

I looked up from the floor just in time to see the three of them enter. The sight of them almost made me laugh. How could I have been scared of a bunch of women? They hardly looked like they could throw a punch let alone harm a vampire. But my assumptions were very wrong, or so I would discover.

The three of them all looked to be in their earlier twenties, give or take a year. I guessed that they were related due to their similarity in appearance. Their facial structure was akin, their chins narrow, and two of them shared the same hazel eyes. I didn't focus on their appearance for long; the malice in their eyes had me averting my own.

"Look, I told you the family in the photograph were vampires! I told you!" The smallest of the three, the eager brunette spoke.

I froze instantly at her words.

How did she know what I was? What was I going to do now that they knew? We'd have to move, my family and I. The Volturi would hear of our carelessness, and we'd all die. I had to get out of this situation, and quickly.

"Excuse me, but may I ask what you're doing here? I'm just about to go … run some errands," I said politely, hoping that they'd just accept my words and let me leave so I could call Carlisle and tell him of the mess I'd created.

"I don't think so," The middle one snarled. "You think we're just going to let you go like that, you soulless demon?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," I lied smoothly. "Now would you please leave my house, you have no business being here! Your insults are unwanted!"

I tried to turn away from them, to leave, but I couldn't move. I literally couldn't move a muscle. Frustrated, I tried with all my might to break from the invisible bonds, but it was impossible.

"What have you done to me?" I hissed, wishing more than ever that I could crush to them a pulp for taking away my freedom to move.

"Exactly what you deserve, vampire!" One of them smiled cruelly. "Aphrodite, go and look around the house for something to trap him in. Be as creative as you want."

"It would be my pleasure, dear sister." She cackled, and then left the room.

"Why are you doing this to me?" I snarled, my mouth being the only thing I could still move.

"You can give us what we want," the one with the raven black hair answered." Immortality, of course!"

"I can't give you immortality unless I turn you!" I said.

"We're witches, you stupid vampire. We live off the venom of vampires!"

_Witches? _I'd never heard of such a thing, and I was sure Carlisle- who had been alive since the 1700's- hadn't either. They had to be lying! But then how were they stopping me from moving? How did they take away my power?

"Found something!" The one with the dark brown hair – Aphrodite- exclaimed, returning to the room with a mirror- the huge one that Rosalie gazed at herself in everyday, one her most prized possessions.

"Perfect," The third one cooed.

"Do you think it will work?" The first one pondered.

"It better, I'm sick of chasing after vampires. I want to have one ready for when we figure out how to kill it!"

Damn it! They were planning to kill me! And I could do nothing about it! I no longer questioned on the extent of their power, they'd proved that it was far more significant in comparison to mine.

The one who had brought the mirror, grabbed my roughly by my arm- my supernatural strength had disappeared along with everything else- and shoved me to the front of the mirror.

She then began to stare intently at the mirror for a few seconds, and I had no idea what she was doing. It was probably some kind of voodoo magic. Whatever it was, it wasn't good!

Then she turned to me, a smirk on her young face.

"I hope you like your new home!"

And then she pushed me into the mirror. Expecting to meet resistance at the glass, I didn't try to fight it. To my utmost surprise, I went _through_ the mirror, and into a small, confining room. The walls, as well as the floor, were bare and I couldn't even stretch my legs out properly due to their narrowness. I discovered almost instantly that I was able to move again, and began to beat my hands violently against the glass in an attempt to break it.

I didn't even have the strength of a mere human.

"It actually worked!" The one who pushed me gasped, her voice as clear as day. For some reason I expected it to be muffled due to her being on the other side of the glass. Then again, I could also see the three of them as clearly as if there were no glass in the first place.

"Now we have to wait until the others come!" The black-haired one laughed with glee.

"Wait! There is a price to trapping it. There always is!" One of them hissed, and then began to examine the mirror for any changes. It was odd being on the inside, it was if she were surveying me.

"Why can't we see it? Did the spell even work?"

One of them reached out to touch the mirror quickly with her hand, and I recoiled automatically from it.

"It looks like we have to touch the mirror to see it!" She murmured.

"What about the price, we need to find out the price!" Her companion urged, seemingly anxious.

The third woman, evidently being in sync with her sister's unease, walked slowly around the mirror, her hand on its edge as she circled it. A sudden gasp and I knew she had found something.

But then she began to laugh, a deep and menacing sound.

"We have nothing to fear sisters. I can assure you that the spell will never be broken!"

"Why? What is it?" The one with the shadowy hair questioned eagerly.

The amusement in her voice was apparent. "A brown eyed-beauty, a human, needs to tell him that she loves him!"

"But he could just ask anyone to say that!" the second one disagreed, still edgy.

"No, but here's the thing. She needs to mean it!"

"You're right! Our spell can never be broken! Nobody could ever love a monster like him," She sneered, looking directly at me this time, trying to taunt me. She was trying to inflict emotional wounds within me.

It was working, and just because I knew her words were true.

Nobody could ever love me, no human would even want to come close to me let alone love me. I would never escape these bonds.

Never.

"Well there is no hope for you after all, you despicable vampire. But we will soon put you out of your misery, soon you will die," The brunette promised darkly.

I didn't have it in me to contradict her.

**Okay, the next one (if people review that is) will be about the Cullens' many attempts to free Edward, also in Edward's POV. If you aren't interested in reading that then just tell me and I'll move onto the next one, which will be about when Alice told Edward about Bella, and Edward's first meeting with Bella. I can do both, but if people only want me to write one then that's what I'll do. **

**I'm planning to do Edward's POV from all the scenes which you suggested, chronologically. **

**Please review if you want another outtake :) **


	29. Outtake 2

**Outtake Two**

**I am so sorry for the huge delay! It's just that every time I tried to write this outtake, I just couldn't (don't ask me why). Please don't flame me for this! I do have a life too, you know. Thanks to my friend Nona Decima Morta for being my unofficial beta and editing this outtake for me :) Also a big thanks to all my reviewers and supporters, as always, you people are awesome! **

* * *

><p>Days turned into weeks. Weeks turned into months, and then months turned into years.<p>

The more time passed, the less frequent my family's attempts were. They never understood the miserable look on my face whenever they tried to free me. They didn't grasp that I already knew how to be freed, and I just couldn't tell them.

Alice couldn't even cheat with her visions; it all depended on what was being decided, and nobody had decided to love me, so she couldn't see anything.

They tried to make my time in the mirror as pleasant as possible, but no material objects would go through the mirror. I didn't care for material objects anyway, so it didn't make a difference to me.

Their attempts in the beginning varied from being very simple, to very creative. The simplest thing that they had tried, was uttering a few 'counter curses' which they'd found on the internet – this was tried during their most desperate stage – and tipping the mirror upside down – not a very pleasant experience for me.

The time spent with my family grew shorter and shorter , and I wouldn't have been surprised if they had forgotten me altogether, except on occasion they would come and apologise for not coming sooner.

Esme and Alice were the only ones who visited nightly, but even then, their visits weren't long.

I had no concept of time, no clock, no watch, to guide me, so only the colour of the sky seen through the glass windows, and the word of my family, informed me on how much time was passing.

The mirror had blocked off all my supernatural capabilities; including my power, so I couldn't read my family's minds or use their voices for company, even though I regarded it as an invasion of privacy.

Anything new, anything at all, was welcomed, as it distracted me from the tedium of being trapped inside the mirror. However, every day was the same, and nothing ever changed. I was forced to accept that I may very well be stuck in here for eternity.

It was on the thirteenth of September, 1987, that something finally occurred and broke the incessant line of monotony and bleakness. That something (even something very diminutive), gave me hope.

Alice, her face always serene and collected, tapped on the mirror with a force that should have broken it, her face alight with excitement. She then began bopping up and down, unable to contain her zeal.

If it wasn't a rare sight, I would have laughed.

"What is it Alice?" I asked urgently, daring myself to hope.

"I've seen something! Something's changed! The shapes are too hazy to make out, but there's definitely something!" Alice trilled, so quickly that only a vampire could understand it.

"What do the shapes look like? Am I free in the vision?" I questioned, bracing myself for her answer.

It could just as easily be good or bad.

A grin surfaced on her bright face. I could literally make out the words her grin expressed; I hadn't seen Alice smile so happily for a very long time.

"Yes!" she squealed.

"Who? What? Where?" I asked eagerly.

"Well, you know how Carlisle wanted me to scout out different areas to see where we could move? Well I suppose you don't know that." She frowned for a second. "Anyway, I was in Forks, you know, that really rainy place that you, Carlisle, Esme, Emmett and Rose lived in, in 1936? Well, that's beside the point. So, out of nowhere, I got this vision in my head …" she trailed off, her eyes going blank.

It was a tell-tale sign of Alice receiving a vision.

_What was she seeing?_

"What Alice?"

My tone was desperate, as I eagerly awaited the rest of her vision.

"It's a girl," she whispered. "A teenage girl with chocolate brown eyes, and long, mahogany hair. She's very beautiful. I don't understand. Why am I seeing…"

She stopped again, only to have her eyes become blank once more. I stared at her anxiously, a little worried.

"It's her!" she said suddenly. "She's the reason why we can't free you. It's to do with her; she's the only one who can do it. She's the one who can free you!"

Her eyes widened in surprise, and then blazed with hope.

"Oh Edward!" she gasped. "Don't you see? when this girl comes into our lives, you'll be free! You don't have to wait much longer!"

Alice didn't understand how the girl had to free me.

How impossible such a thing was.

But if she saw the girl freeing me… perhaps she would grow to like me, to care for me.

Perhaps my case wasn't so helpless after all.

"When Alice, when will she come?" I asked frantically.

"I'm not sure; I have no idea what the trigger for the vision was. I'm sorry, it won't be in the next few days, or even months, I think. Her fashion is completely different to an average teenager living in this decade, and so is her hair."

"I'll wait as long as it takes," I assured her, trying to picture the girl – based of the description Alice had given me – in her mind. I wished more than ever that I could see the girl through Alice's mind, see the girl who was destined to free me, to love me.

I would wait centuries if that's what it took.

…

Every few years, Alice got a few more glimpses of the girl. In all of them, the girl was a teenager. Alice assured me this was only because she was searching for visions in which the girl may free me, or when she would arrive. We learnt that she would arrive sometime in the next twenty years, and every day I asked Alice if she'd seen anything new. Despite the time I knew I'd have to wait, I was quite patient and my outlook on life was a lot brighter.

The day I'd been waiting for, for so many years, arrived in January, 2005.

Alice's reaction was very much the same, if not more excited than when she'd seen the first vision. My reaction, however, was just as eager filled as hers.

"She's coming!" Alice squealed. "She's really coming. Here, to Forks, in a few days!"

"How long will she be here? How long do we have?"

"She's coming to live here with her father, Chief Swan," Alice answered confidently.

"Do you know her name? What's her name?" I asked excitedly.

Alice smiled. "Bella, her name is Bella."

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><p><strong>Want another outtake? Then please use the nice, new review feature and leave me a review :) <strong>


	30. Outtake 3

**Outtake Three**

**I bet you're surprised at this update considering it's been around two months since I last posted anything. Um…hi…I haven't died or anything, if that's what you wanted to know. People kept pushing me to post this, and since it was Edward and Bella's anniversary, I decided to hurry the hell up and update. Enjoy :) **

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><p>My mind had been filled to the brim over the past few days with nothing but ample anticipation for the girl – Bella's – impending arrival. Ever since Alice had told me of her vision, of the fact that I was to meet her in little under a week, I had been unable to think of anyone, of anything but her. The morose thoughts and feelings that had accompanied for the past few decades no longer existed, banished by my perpetual hope of what her arrival would mean. I wondered insatiably about what she looked like, pondered endlessly over what her voice would sound like, contemplated over and over on how on earth she could be so compassionate and unjudging to such extents that destiny itself was certain that she was going to love me one day. I was a monster; it'd take someone incredible, no, in fact, someone not of this world, an angel from heaven above to have the benevolence to love someone like me. It was madness, insanity to believe such things but Alice was never wrong and I knew better than to question her or the mirror.<p>

There was nothing to do but wait, stand by until she came, and when she did come, I almost couldn't believe my eyes. She was here! _Here_! I looked into her chocolate brown eyes and stared at her pretty face in wonder. In fact, pretty wasn't accurate enough a word, she was stunning, exquisite, the most beautiful woman I had ever seen in my life. She was one hundred times better than I had imagined her to be; and I couldn't keep my entranced eyes off her soulful brown ones, off her mahogany hair, off her slightly parted mouth. I desired to take her hand, to bring her closer but the years of incessant patience that I had been forced to endure stopped the urges in their tracks.

A small shriek left her lips and she cowered back, obviously as shocked as I was. There were no words to describe how I was feeling right now; any attempt to describe it would be insufficient. The day that I'd been waiting for, for so many decades was finally here, and I had no idea what to do! I didn't want to scare her off by being too forward but the more I looked at her, the more difficult it became to overcome my urges.

She grasped at a few strands of her dark brown hair, her pale hand trembling. I had no idea why she did it. Was it because she was scared to see me, nervous? Had Alice told her anything about me yet? Had she even met Alice? I wished more than ever that Alice had told me exactly what was going to happen when she… Bella arrived. It made me feel uneasy, not knowing of what was to come.

Slowly, at a pace more sluggish than I could bear, she walked back up to me, up to the mirror, her forehead creased as if she were unable to believe that I was there. Ah, so Alice mustn't have told her about me. This was going to be more difficult than I'd envisioned. I ran my hand through my bronze hair anxiously, unsure of how to proceed. Her fingers brushed against the glass, and I longed to press my own on the reverse side of it. Then she spoke, her voice soft, and feminine.

"Who are you?"

My quiet response was automatic, and not of my own accord.

"It's you"

She frowned. "We've never met. I'm sorry, but you must have me confused with someone else."

"I know we haven't met; that's not what I meant," I assured her.

"How did you get in there? Are you really even in there, or is this all something my imagination has conjured up?" she asked, shock still seeming to be her dominant emotion.

"Well, I've been trapped in this mirror since probably before you were born, so I don't think it's you." I tried to keep the melancholy out of my voice as I spoke, not wanting for her to pity me.

"You don't age?" Her brown eyes widened.

"You could say that."

"Look, I can't believe I'm talking to a mirror. What I'm doing is pretty much the definition of crazy. I need to go somewhere to clear my head. There is no way that someone can be stuck in a mirror. It's impossible, illogical."

Damn, how was she going to free me when she didn't even believe I was really in here? Things kept getting more and complicated with each second that passed.

"Well, I am and have been for longer than I can count, so I guess your theory is incorrect," I replied quietly.

"I'm sorry; I just don't know what to do. I need to think around this…go to the park or something."

No! She can't leave! She'll never want to come back if she leaves. No! "Wait! Please don't go. I haven't talked to anyone in so long, almost to the point where speech is foreign to me in a way. Please stay!" I begged, unable to keep the desperation out of my voice.

"Okay then, but I do have questions," she agreed.

I couldn't help but grin widely at the fact that she was staying, and sat down cross-legged so that our conversation would be more relaxed. She mirrored my actions but said nothing, staring openly at me just as I was with her.

I sighed. "I suppose I should tell you how I got in here. But you won't believe me."

"Given what I'm seeing now, I might just believe in anything," she replied wryly. "How about you start with your name?"

"I would shake your hand but this mirror makes that quite difficult. I'm Edward." I smiled.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Bella."

"Bella," I repeated warmly, acting as if I didn't already know her name. Her name on my tongue felt right, as if I'd been destined to utter it.

"So, are you going to tell me how you got into this mess?" she asked.

"It has a pretty long back story."

"I have time."

"I…" I hesitated. "I can't tell you yet. It may change your opinion of me."

"It's not like I'm going to get to know you or anything," she mumbled. No! She had to! Maybe Alice was wrong after all; maybe we took the inscription's meaning the wrong way.

Maybe Bella couldn't free me.

Yet, I couldn't quash the tiny little bit of hope that still resided within me.

"Even if I wasn't stuck in this mirror, I'd like to. You seem like a pleasant person to be around. I don't know what it's like anymore, to have freedom, to be able to do whatever I want. It'd be nice to have someone to talk to."

Every word I spoke was the truth; I wasn't just exaggerating so she'd stay. I genuinely wanted to know everything about her, to know her.

She sighed. "Well, I do see your point, but this is just so hard to believe."

"And you're telling that to the person who is in the mirror," I muttered.

"Consider this, if I was in the mirror, would you believe that I was really in there?"

Hmmm, she had a point.

I thought of my reply carefully before I spoke.

"Well, I probably would have jumped to the same conclusion as you first did, but then after a while, I'd accept it as the truth when you continued to be in the mirror."

"Why couldn't I see you before?"

"I can only be seen if we touch through the mirror. Once you turn away, I'll disappear until we both touch again."

The thought depressed me.

"Well I guess I better not look away then," she replied shyly.

I grinned. "That would be preferable."

"Okay, I've decided that from this moment forward, I'm going to pretend that what's happening is real, and that I'm going to ignore what reality is telling me," she announced suddenly. I battled to hide a smile.

"It is real."

"Maybe one day I'll see that." She sounded doubtful.

"One day I'll prove it to you."

"And maybe one day I'll believe you."

She wouldn't want to come back if she didn't believe I was real, I needed to show her I was, and fast.

"How can I prove it to you? I want you to see proof now; otherwise, you might not come back."

"Give me physical evidence. Sight doesn't always prove everything," she murmured.

"Well press your hand against the glass then. Maybe touch will make you believe," I suggested.

Giddy with anticipation, I pressed my own hand eagerly against the glass and sighed at the pleasant feeling of warmth that our hands created together when she matched up hers with mine. Electricity buzzed between us, forged a bond between us that could never be broken.

I couldn't stop the massive grin that surfaced on my face when I realised what the spark meant.

Carlisle had told me of such things on a dreary afternoon a few weeks after he'd saved and changed Rosalie in New York, wanting to know if I'd felt a spark of some sort with her. Of course I hadn't, and I'd asked why he'd expected such a thing. Both his thoughts and his expression revealed his chagrin when he'd replied _'A spark between one vampire and another means that they are a mated pair. I'd rather hoped that Rosalie would be your mate, but fate works in unexpected ways.' _

This was why Bella was destined to free me! She was my mate, my soul-mate! It didn't matter that she wasn't a vampire, the whole institution worked the same way, or at least I hoped it did.

"Do you believe me now?" I whispered.

She was stunned; her brown eyes were swimming with awe. "Yes."

Yes! Perhaps there was a chance after all!

"Where does that leave us?"

"Bells," I heard someone yell from the distance, a man, perhaps Bella's father or older brother. Who was I to know?

"Shoot," she muttered. "I've got to go."

Was it just me or was she as reluctant to go as I was to let her?

"Promise me you'll come back," I pleaded, wanting to make sure that she wasn't going to abandon me, wanting to see her as soon as she was able.

She smiled. "I promise."

That tiny smile of hers brightened my whole spirit, and dismissed the darkness that tainted my perception of everything. It was almost physically painfully to watch her walk away from me, but somehow I managed it. _I'll see her again soon_, I reassured myself. She'd promised that she would come back; I would see her again soon.

The thought brought me more happiness and hope than Alice's visions ever had.

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